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Holmes, Patrick O'Duffy, Adam Tinworth and Kyb Ward. Worlcl of Darkness created byMarkRei.n· Hagen,
Storyteller Game System Design: Mark Reins Hagen Developer: Michael Lee Editor: Carl Bowen Art Director: Pauline Benney Layout and Type etting: C lleen Denny Interior Art: J a,on Alexander. Shane Coppage, Travis Ingram, Ken Meyer JR, Jeff Rebner, Cathy Wilkins, Andy T rabbold Front Cover Art: R.K. PO$t Front and Back Cover Design: Pauline Benney

CHI:.Dn~ Authors: David Carroll, jacob Dochertv, Eleanor

155411NTTON OR.
STONE MOUNTIAN,

World of Darknes and Aberrant are registered tr-ademarks of White Wolf Publrshing, Inc. All tights reserved, We.rewolf the WHIU WOlF USA AjJotalYP'e; Wraith the ObLivilQn, Changeling the Dreaming, GAH'[ STUDIOI Werewolfthe Wild West, Mage the Sorcerers Crusade, Wraith the Grear War, T rmit." Demon the Fallen, Demon rorvtellers Cempanion, Demon Players Guide, Demon Oi ty of Angels Demon the "Earthbound and Demon Houses of the Fallen are. trademarks of White Wolf Publishing" Inc, All right reserved. AU characten names, places and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc. The mention of or reference to ally company 0][ product inthese pages is not .a challenge to the
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trademark or copyright concerned. This book uses the supernatural fQr settings, character and memes. All lnystical ami supernatural elements ale fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only ..This book contains mature €Outen

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TasLB OF CONTENTS
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RODUCTION

CtlhPTERONE:TIiEHouseofTHc1'\oRI'IING5ThR
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(T11\PTER fOUR:

62
90 112

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HOUSEor BLOOD?\NDBONE
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150
160 190

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SEVEN: THE HOUSE or fALLING

EIGtIT: THE G1\t\EOf HOUSJE5

J; In the beginning God created the h.eaven and the eanh. 2; And the earth was tJ,Jithout form, and. void; and. darkness was upon the face ,of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved ttj)on the face of the wa:ten~, 3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4: Ana God saw che light. that iewelS good: and God divided the Lightfrom the darkness .
-Genesis L;L~4 hierarchy, each rank given a specific role to play in me work that was ro ceme.Indeed, having separated the day frOtThth.e:nigru in.th~glory of the angels' birth, G~ called out a .number of the Heavenly Host by name and gave them dominion over the dawn. These

God was alone in the depths of the void. He looked our at the endless night and sought to fLll ir wi th ometh ing that wou ld ease His loneliness, s He gave fHimself, taking a portion of His essence and pouring it ut like a vast ocean into emptines .

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The unborn uni verse was dark and withe ur form,

and the void pressed against it from all sides. God moved across the face of the waters and said, ''Let there be light," and from His radiance the angels were born. Each spirit was a mote of divine poweraftd wisdom, and their light Was. the fll'5t dawn of Orearion, They stood a t the edge of the cosmos, pu .Fling back the void, for God made [hem to be the guardians God's

were the angels of me. morning, and their sacred duty

was to bring God'

llghr into every part of His cre-

ation, and re commuaicat

and caretakers of all that He created. According to plan, the angel Were ordered into a stric

gelic House, and greatest among rhe:m...wasLucifer, And sa God's plan unfolded, He disided the he vens from the earth, and summoned angels by name who would direct me winds and e.arry Hi breath to every corner of Creation. He paned (he waters and ealledforth land and ummoriedangels [0

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God's wishes co the-restof

Hest, "These spir~t:s were rhe

ftrslr.

an-

11m SF.~OFTII!': F IILL':'\

rend its fires and watch over wilderness. God lit the fires of [he sun and shaped the moon and stars to give igns and easons and portents, and He named the angels who would direct their courses. He called forth angels ro watch over the oceans and all the life within, and still other to rend the beasts of the earth. Every spirit had irs role. and each was content.

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THE I1ous:es or THE FALLEN

Demon: The Fallen has seven different character types available in core rules, based upon the seven stages (days) of creation. Each character type commands a different realm of power" depending [he responsibilities assigned to the House during the formation of [he wodd. More dum a shared ideology or culture (though encompassing both), a demon's House defines its fundamental essence and outlook on the universe. Though the fallen are certainly individuals. with unique preferences and personalities, their Houses are the foundation that all else i built upon, and (heV pervade every aspect of dav-roday existence. -

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~7\J~I: TtlEt\.i'\LEfi\CTOR5 The Malefactors are the artisans among the fallen, once given charge of the e rth and all that lies within it. These demons are cunning, patient and thoughtful. using their powers of fabrication to turn the most mundane items into wondrous gifts [hat ultimarelv c mrpt the recipient, These are the classic demons of myth who supplied every cursed sword, every magic mirror, every g lori OUS, poisonous treasure that brought doom on kings and kingdoms alike. Malefactors are drawn to insecure, needy souls, perhaps outwardly strong but hungry for some obi ect tha twill make their dreams come true.

Ne.1) ERG: Tl1E

r<IEIW-S

This bo k presents the hist ry, per onality and perspectives tha define each of the even Houses of [he infernal host, providing for players and Storytellers a richer background to draw from when creating characters for their Demon chronicles,

The Fiends once directed the course of the sun, me 0 and stars, wea ing the complex patterns mat governed the tides, seasons and portents of Heaven. Their power lay in the night, in dreams and visions, and now they use 'their knowledge t trap the unwary mind in net of madness. Where once [hey were oracles, dispensing wisdom and warnings, now they are [he master of nightmares and far-reaching curses, Fiends are drawn to those vainglorious souls who covet secrets and forbidden knowledge.

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Nlvv\ntr: TJ·IEDE\71l,.._'5
Once belonging
ItO

the House of the Dawn and

serving as God' heralds to the rest of the Heavenly Host, these angels were the standard-bearers of God's

will and the champions of humanity. Now these

Devils use their charisma and power of per uasion t twist mortal and immortal minds [0 serve their own wicked desires. Devils ale the uldmate deceiver , corrupting souls with guile and honeyed word . Despi te their-magnetism and presence, or perh-ap' beca use of it, they are never quite able co fit in wid, humans or other demons, and they must truggle even harder against (he anguish that threatens their sanity ..Devil. are drawn re humans with great vision and towering ambition, such as executives, politi ians and entertainers whobelleve that they at alawunt themselves.

The Defilers are educers - ever-changing, always alluring. They were given dominion over the oceans, and me)] Can alter their appearance like quick ilver, taking the form of their victi m' greatest desire. They can manipulate not only their own bodies, but other' as weH, grantinggloriou beauty in place of ugliness" but always for a price, The e demons seek our me vain and the heartbroken, tangl ing hem in webs of glamour and stealing their faith right before their eyes. Ri\l)l.5U: Tru; DEvOllllER.5 Devourers are the warriors among the fallen, given charge of the beasts of the wildernes and infused with the nature f the predat r. They are naturally fierce and impulsive by nature, favoring action over long-winded discussion. By the same token, they are no in llned to low punishments or long, convoluted corruption. They incite, ravage, annihilate and move on. Devourer ate naturally drawn to violent aggre sive individual as the source of their pewer, be they srreet thug , cop s, oldiers or corporate sharks.

A5ffi\Ra: TJm..3coUl\Gr,..:
These former Angels of the Firmament were given the [ask of directing the winds and carrying the life-gi ving breach. of God ro those whom the GIeator wishedtc save. Now these demens lire the bearers of plague and pesrilence, their passage swift and unseen but their punishments cruel and lingering. DependLng on their whim, they can heal or poison with II touch. Scourges are drawn 'to those fearful iouls who believe in perils that lurk just out of sight.
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tLt\L/\KU:TtlE...5L'lIER ~ Af er God created man and woman, He returned

to Heaven, H is labors complete -leaving death and decay to follow in His wake. In the beginning, the Slave r touched on! y plants and animals, taking those

1~'I'lmlH CTIO\

past their time and returning their essences back to the earth. They were the Angels of Death, the silent, gentle Reapers who did God's bidding and ended life when its time had come. After the rebellion, their mandate came to include humanity as well. Now the Slayers who rurned their back on Heaven are the tormentors of the dead, masters of spirit who can raise ghosts, reap souls from living bodies or trap a-spirit in a vessel of their choosing. Slavers are drawn to souls who believe that there is nothing left worth living for, or those who cling to life at the expense of those

on the current situation? Is ir eager to get back to the way things were during the war, or is it interested in creating a brand new paradigm! Who are the prominent House members at large in the modem World of Darkness, and whar are they up to? Relics and lost Lore profiles a number of Housespecific rituals and infernal relics datingfrorn the war, which Storytellers can use in their chronicles, or to draw inspiration from when creating their own. The relic profiles are especially intended to act as story seeds and springboards for the Storyteller's own creativity, so don't feel llmlted by all item's history, its description or even its special powers. Feel free to alter its nature [Q best suit your needs. Character Creation is a section devoted to detailed guidelines and advice for creating characters from the profiled House; from Nature and Demeanor to spend ing freebie points and everything in between. Tips fIX selecting Attributes, Abilities, Backgrounds, Vi rtues a nd Lore provide a camp rehens ive outline for treating an evocative character from a gi ven House.

around them,

How TO Use Tms

5001<;

This book is divided into eight chapters. Each of

the seven infernal Houses has a chapter dedicated to it, and an eighth chapter focuses on presenting House intrigue and power policies in a Demon chronicle. Remember, though, that the most important "chaprer" in a story rei Ling game is your irnagina [ion. Never let anything in this book become asubstitute for your own creativity. Each House profile chapter addresses the following topics: Before the Fall depicts the nature of the House in the early days of Creation irs role, duties and perspectives on Earth and humanity. This depiction is followed by the House's perspectives on the Great Debate and primary reasons that angds of the House chose to follow Lucifer's call to rebel. The House at War describes how the fallen reinvented! their House in the wake of the Fall. The section explores how the House reorganised itself in the wake of Lucifer's creation of the five legions, and explores how militantly House members approached the struggle against Heaven. In addition ro describing the House's perspectives on the war! the section explores how the House maintained its identity amid the conflicting interests generated by the legions and Lucifer's feudal rnerirocracv, FinallYI the section relares some of more notable explosts of House members during the war as well as individual contributtons to the war effort. Out of the Abyss discusses how the overall character and perspectives of the House members changed after exposure to the Abyss .. Further, the. section explores how the House is trying rOlce-estabIish itself in the modern World of Darkness. Topks discussed include the following: Who ls in charge? How are they trying to locate and connect with other House members! What are the House's perspectives

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What though the field be lost? AIL is not lost; the ullconquerable Will, And study of revenge, immoTud hate,
And courage never to submit or )lield: And whal is else not ita be overcome! That Glary never shall his wrath or might Extort from me. -John Milton, Paradise Lost
When the Creator first reached out His hand and stirred the fabric of Creation into 1ife, He created the Heralds - beings of starlight and nobility, His perfect prototype for the rest of the Elohim, 111ey were radiant, flawless, incorruptible. And yet, they fell. They feU from God's grace due to [he very qualities the Creator had given them - nobility" courage and love for human beings. Whel\ faced with the hardest choice that has ever been required in the history of the universe, many Heralds tooktheterrible decision to follow Lucifer and reject God's will. To do otherwise would have been to deny the ethics 1code God had charged themwith and deny rherruthrhar moved through them since the universebegan.

they had once embodied, The purpose of their existence changed, but the Devils still retained qualities that had made them Heaven's best.and brightest. Devils led the rebel forces against Host eDf Hea ven; Dev:iIs

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stood alone to protect humanity from God and monsters

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alike; Devils governed and advised the legions as they had governed me angels in Heave. Even those

wore on - were regal monsters! who performed their terrible crimes wirlicoumg_e and dignity. When the

Devils who were consumed byan._ger and' blnemess ~ few at first, but more and moreas the time of Atrflcities

rebellion finally falled.and the.demon. hosm were COlli fined to Hell, the IDevils went to the .A!byss with the

knowledge. that they had remained true to their ldeal.s. Even in their FaU, they never faltered or compromised. But when Devils returned

After their Fall, the dissident Heralds became Devi1s-leaders and princes of a rebellionagadnsrevervthing

the

bonds of

He'll

to Creation,

Shattered and the they found that their

resolve and heroism simply hadn't mauered. The human race, and Creation itself, had done something far worse [han rejecting them - it had forgotten them. The defiant courage of the Devtls had accomplished nothing, and Creation [10 longer recognized them or even needed them. It was a punishmentfar worse than

any of [hem could have imagined ..

Devils are complex, conrradicrorv characters, more so than perhaps any other House. Some are noble, generous leaders who still wish ro free humanity from God's tule ~ bur who think nothing of manipulating and using Innocent mortals to forward those plans. Some wanr God'sforgiveness but will not renounce the pride and hubris that sent them to He II in the first place, And some are terrible monsters who wish to rule the world with an iron fist, approaching mar goal with the courage and idealism that befits a chosen Prince of Heaven. They are rh black paladin of Hell, the puppeteer of a lost Heaven and the heroes of a world that doesn't want them ..They are the Narnaru.

BBFarm Tfm FaLL

BefoJre time began, before time existed, there was the Creator and the vo id - infinity and nom iagness, existence and absence ..To continue His own existence. the Creator needed something else to exist, a third entity rhatcould separate the All from the None - the universe. Creation. God coult/. havefashioned Creation directly, with no more than the force of His desire, but to do .0 would nave required the Creator to touch the Abyss directly and be contaminated by its nothingness. Therefore, Intermediaries were needed - emissaries that could mold the Abys into a newfo:rrn and erect a barrier between the Creator and the void. And 0, God created the angels, perfec agents that could create a universe in His name - and the first and most glorious of these angel were the Heralds, messenger's of the Creator's willl.

And as they w ndered, ad called the bright stars of the Heralds to His side, because He could not communicare His plan directly to [he lesser Elohim. For while the other angels were crea tures of immense power and divinity, they were still too small and roo flawed to withstand full farce of God's plan, Hi word would have destroyed them. and their imperfection would have sullied and corrupted the Creator's very being. Only th Heralds were strong enough, perfect enough, to listen to God's pl n without flinching or minting Him through their weakness. The Creator said to them, "Something new mu t be brought into being-an eternal barrier to touch the void and keep it at bay. 1 cannot make this Myself without making it of Myself. so you must make it for Me. Here is My plan for this Creation, a thing oflife and change that can adapt ro thetouch of the void. You will mice My plan [0 the other Elohim, and under your guidance they· will build <I universe," And the Divine Plan of the reator filled the Elchimsuch they nearly crurnhled under its weight - until lucifer, first and strongest of them, took thebulkofthe DlvinePlan into his soul, bearingits weight and protecting his fellows from its power. Filled with the divine word of the Lord, the Heralds returned to the waiting ranks of the lesser Elohim. Ar their head wa Lucifer, incandescent with his own brilliance and blazing power of God' plan. When he spoke, hi words were burst of light tha illuminated the infinite exparu f th void. "We have been given a task,' said Lucifer, "and that task is. n thing les that the creation ,f a universe, Our work will not just build a barrier between God and the void, but make that barrier a perfect place tha t wi It house God's own glmy . To the Hera Ids God has given the responsibility of leading and dtrectingvou, the lesser angels. To you will fall the task ofbuildingand constructing Creation and everything in it, to follow the plan as we d i feet you. Together we will make ur Creator proud. Now let us begin."

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TJ1ECRJ~J\TJO OFTI1EllNrv"""ER.5r. In seven days, the Host of Heaven built a single

world. And over the course of billions of year', the laws of reality brought a universe into being. Both of these events happened at the same time, because they Were the same event. The world was the universe, and the seven days lasred billions of years, and the result in both cases Was Creation itself.

11 CQC1J

GOfTr1e.Di\QJl"l

Likestars, the bright bodies of the Heralds burned in

the emptiness of rbe void. Indeed, [he Heraldswere scars - each mobl lei sentient being slmultaneeuslv a vast fumace of nuclear nrC! - and the brighres was Lucifer, first and grea[Cs[ of them all, They hone brillland y in a

space tha~ was less than vacuum, less than empdne . They watched as God creared a vast legion of angels,
drew ix more Howes ofElohlm from Hlssubstance. The angels gathered together in ranks with the Heralds at the forefront, and the Elohim of the lesser Houses wondered at the reason for their existence.

U nder the guidance of the Hera Ids, the six Hou e of the Host built reality, spinning it from the nothingne of the void and haping it with their inten . Embodying the law of reality that the Creator bad cho en, the angels u ed their evocations - their very will and being - to create something from nothing,

10

ell \PTEil O~E

While the ocher Houses did this, the Heralds wa tched and directed and assisted where they thought it nece sarv. As the purest and most perfect of angels, the Heralds did nor work directly on (he building of Creation. Such a [ask would have required them to touch and interact with the void, or with the slowly forming nucleus of the world, and that would have dw.nged them, sullied them with the essence of the imperfect. And if the Heralds were corrupted, so too would be God's Divine Plan. Such contamination could not be countenanced by the Heralds.so hey worked from afar, above and apart from their fell iws. Alway', proud and regal, [he Heralds became even.more so, and tbeir pride in their perfection and judgment. grew and grew. When they did take a hand, it was w command and direct other angels. using their ability (Q strengthen the will and evocations of their fellows. This too made them feel a.pan from and superior to the other Elohirn. The celestial hierarchy was established at this time. II was a chain of prestige and influence with the House of the Dawn at the top, and no one saw this as being anything other than right and proper. Under the guidance of the Heralds! Creation took shape. The Angels of the Fundament formed a planet, and the Angels of the Firmament encased it in air. TI1e Angels of the Wad shaped animals and plant (hat the air brough to life. The Angels of the Deep created water [0 susta in that life, and the Angels of the Second World shepherded sp irits back 'to God when life came to an end. The Angels of the pheres set time into m tion and pi rred the course of the stars in the sky- he stars that were the A ngelsofrhe Dawn, the Heralds watching over Creation to guide and rectify any problems that arose. was eterna I and sustaining, needing on 1y the last element to make it perfect. The time had c me for rhe culmination f God's Divine Plan: the cr -

Why would th Creator make such a demand? Why keep the angels - more importantly, rheHeralds - from. humanity? In the spaces between layers of
reality, the Herald whispered and speculated. Some felt that God was not to be questioned, hut most were
too proud and roo passionate to simply leave it at that, Two theories became popular among the Heralds. One was that the Creator was displeased with cite work of me Elohim and sought to rebuke the angels by forbidding them to interact with humanity, the. pinnacle of that creation. The other was that the Creator did not mISt me Heralds (and by xrension, the rest of me angels) to interact with mankind, fearing the Elohim would harm or su lly humans through error or irnperfection. Both of these theories were unbearable to the pride of Heralds, who knew thernse lves 1:0 be perfect and ItO have created a perfect Universe. Though they would not admit it, many Heralds came to secretly bel ieve that the Creator's edict was wrong, and in this first elevation of their own j udgment over that of God, the Heralds laid the foundation of the Fall.

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D cu eNIDI'xu.
For a time that cannot be measured, the Elohim watched over humanity from a distance, loving their charges. while staying separate and secret from them. Mankind remained unaware of the wonders f the Creation mat the Heralds (and the other angels) ha I made, nd the Heralds despaired. Humans could learn, but only slowly and with difficulty, Like animal , they needed to suffer and feel pain m order to learn from their mistakes. Bur the Elohim could not bear to allow their charge to feel that pain. The only altemative was to intervene, to reachhumanitvdirecdyand uri lock its true potenrial->- bur: that, of course, w'as"forbidden. Watching the first man and woman wander blindly through the perfection of Creation, lost in their ignorance, tormenred the Heralds. TIl' y watched and helped maintain Paradise, and they wondered whethercheCreator would ever explain His action to His angels. Then came A11Iimai '5 vision of a coming disaster, and the Great Debate b tween, the Elohirn, Some angel

An

ation of huraaniry .. Tf1E. 5mTtl 0

J'\.1\N

The Herald watched as the other Elohim created

man in God's image, and were filled with love for their creation. Wh,en the rime came for the Heralds to bequeath God's dlvinirv [Q mankind, they touched face of rae sleeping Adam and Eve and knew that chis was (he crowning moment of their existence. Then came God' edlcrs-s- for the angels to love humanirv abo e all things and to never reveal themselves to the race of Adam and Eve ..For Heralds, the first was trivial, even meaningless. They could do nothing else but love humanity with all their heart. But [he second command sent ear and pain - and worse" uncertainty - into the soul, of the Herald.

from the darknes lurking in rhe furure; others wanted

co cay their hand, trusting in God's vision and the

wanted to act, to intervene

and save humanity

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authority of His cn·dem.The Debsre was ·deadlocked and inc nclusive IIJl"\til 'Lucifer, the Lightbringer, the fir t and wisest of all me Elohim, made his appearance. Lucifer argued that obeying the Creator s

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command. to love and protect human lty requi'rea them

ro disobey His commandment of secrecy. Lucifer's argument was born of limitless pride and of limitless love for humanity, and when he spoke, he spoke for almost all the Heralds. They embraced.his words and

II

foliowedhim to Eden to reveal themselves to humanity. Like Lucifer, they acted from pride.certain that they were right - and LikeLucifer, rhey scted from compassion, because they felt rhat only through this defiance could they rescue humanity from (he eternal
prison God would have- rrspped them in.

Andso the-rebel Heralds.angels madesowtse and perfect thar they could not accept the possibility of their judgment being flIawed, turned their backs on God. Thus cl\ey Were condemned by Him to become the Devils - creatures so reviled that they WIW;" deemed he.neath the Creator's contempt and unworthy of His notice.

And thus the: Elobhn felL

PaTadisewas no more. The rebellious demons had been condemned by me Creator, bllt: Lucifer's Forces had in.turn repelled Michael and the Heavenly Host.

Now the rebels and their leader -

oncea

perfect

Herald, now a defiant De.vi!- found themselves and (heir nllffiM. charges at rhe dawn of a new era, a. time of infinite possibilities. This was the Age of Wrath. It was iii. time of wonder and terror, when the demons plumbed CreaLio[l's infinire posslbtllues and helped determine [he ultimate destiny of the human race. Audit was a time when (he Namaru, (he Devils, reinvented their

rebel House ofherces and serpents, leaders and mensters, and laid the (ou.nJatll}fl for the tortured beings
they would ultimately become.

TtTIE fmST
10. pose
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D'2\lk

'ilntl brightest ofthelr number, to provide leadership.

beginning. [he rebels were without purplan. TIl.E Narnaru Iooked (0 Lucifer, the best

12

CII\ Jl'fER ONE!

Many of them expected him to establish a similar hierarchy to that of Heaven with the seven rebel Hou es arranged in strict order of power and responsibility, but Lucifer had other plans. P!1l;"in~,,-11'TIIL'.I"-\UX_I"

In many ways, the carlv h isrorv uf t he Namaru

is the storv nfLucitcr1 he

first and grearesrofrhe

Heralds and the DL'\'il~ alike. The Lighrhringer spoke for his HilusI.' Juring the Grear Del-are and after the Fall.Wbcre Ill' led, the vast majorirv of Devils follnwed. TIlls isn't ro sav rluu Devils weren't individuals
in the time ((111uwing rhe Fall, nor tha!: some of the

Namaru didn't db,lf!ret' with their lender. But in

<I

House based on pride, 1111one W:l1 more deserving l1f that priJe [han Lucifer. III il House uf heroes and leaders, 11,1 onl;.'W~IS more heroic and inspiring than the Lighthringer. His gli1ry shl Inc HCroS:; Creation. and hb actions iuflucnced rhe rhoughrs arul deeds

'-If all Namuru. 11would not h,' until his disuppearance Ihat the rest (If the Devils would c< uue om tlf
his ~h<1!.ll\\·<1!lJ Ill'gin III shape their own destinies.

Tar. CftEJ\TrO
Lucifer

OfTtlELE,<110N.

led the rebel host from the ruins of Paradise

into a new and scarred Creation, a place: of wild beaury and terrible devastation. As they traveled away from the scene of their rebellion, Lucifer felt the changes moving through his compatriots - disillusionment and despair, hope and hatred - and he knew [hat he could not simply co-opt hierarchy of Heaven for this new society. The lower HOLLSes would allow 'themselves 'to be lorded over by thelugher Houses again, and those of the higher Houses needed DO prove their worth before they could take command. Calling a hal t 00 the march in the Valley ofT ears, lucifer spoke to the gathered demons. "The order of Heaven is no more. No longer will Dawn command Spirit, Light dominate Wild. These are the dictates of the Creator, and to keep them would be to betray our rebellion, Deeds are what will rna ter From 11I0W IOn, not one's House; strength and abiliry, not God's plan, We: shall create our own plan, and those who lead will berhose who deserve [Q lead." Lucifer created the legions - part armies, part political bodies, part ideologies - and allowed the demons to flock to the legion with which they identified. Each of hese legion- wa organized as hierarchy, a structure of duke and barons and fell knight, according ro Lucifer's advice and wisdomthe first courts, the fin expression of the new dernon ic plan for Creation.

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Lucifer's own Crimson Legion was dedicated to teaching and protecting the race of man. The grim Ebon Legion rejected humanity and fought Heaven for betterment ofdernens alone. The [ron Legion, while also a militaristic legion, fought instead to protect humanity from Heaven' wrath. The Silver Legion worked [0 uncover ecrets of Creation and God Himself, partially pies and partially explorers. Finally, [he Alabaster Legion hid from view, separating itself from the coming conflict to shepherd the oul of man to the afterlife and protect those skit as Iest it could. The overwhelming majority of theNarnaru gravirated toward the Crim on Legion, the only legion dominated by another Devil. and the one rnostallgned with their own gifts and purpose. A Significant portion joined [he Ebon legion, their pride compelling them to consider rhernselve above the mortals that th y no longer felt like erving, while a few allied rh mselves with [be other legions. As the legions separated to build their fortresses and settle their human flocks, Lucifer sought out each of the Namana and spoke to [hem in rum. "We have always been the pinnacle of ere arion," he said, "and dhis has not changed. But no longer can we-rule our fellows from afar. If you would regain that power and responsibility, you must earn II: and work to gain the respect and devotion of your fellows. Only [hen will you be strong enough to shoulder the burden of leadership. We are the most perfect of [he Seberru: the time has come for us to prove this." Fr m each of his fellow Lucifer rook the tattered and damaged remnanrsof God' plan, the divine power that the Namaru still bore in their souls, and took it upon himself No longer were [he Deeds burdened by the majestic weigh of the plan. No longer did they truggle to contain rhe Creator' power-and intentions. Lucifer took the plan fully unto himself, a power so great that only the Lightbringer could lbear irs [Ouch, and he used his gifts r onceal it from the rest 0 Creation. And so God's plan - and perhaps the dues [0 why He forbade the Elohim to interact with humanity - was 105[, and the Seberru knew ir no more.

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TtIE NEW ORD

As

their fortresses aC;IO&'> reation, the forces of Heaven C built their own cities and gathered their strength for the corning fight. Their battles were calm, bloodle s affairs atthis time, long before theFirst Murder and the Time f Atrocities, and bod. ides focused more on e tablishlng their force' andnegotiaring territory than 011 clashes 01" confrontations. Occasionally angels and demons would fight, bur such 'battles" were more like

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legioru established themselves and built

13

lint S..:s OF 711E F \1.1.1-:\

Exchanges of ideas or come ts of skill than anything mortals would recognize as war. For hundred of years, (his quiet conflict went on between angels and demons, while humanity pread out to encompass Creation, guided by the ideals of the Crimson Legion. During [his orne, the Nam;;lru worked their way into positions 0 power in It of the legions. \XThile rno t demons learned [0 balance their Joyalties be[ween House and legion, many Devils still saw themselves as arnaru first, legionnaires second. The Devils were still proud creature who felr that power and leadership roles were theirs by- right - but in this new order, they took Luc LEer'swords [Q heart find acted to convince others of this as well. Proving rhern elves through their deeds, the Namaru won me respect and IDyalty of their fellow', and in turn m well up in rank ofcornmand.In r;h Crims n legion, Devils u ~cl their p lwei [Q inspire mortals (0 new heishrs and to ' i t [he efforrs of their fellow demons. Warrior· in Ebon and [ron Legions stood against the force of Heaven in bloodless combat, demonstrating th ir kiU with evocations and ann" to repel angelic opponents. The arnaru of th~ Silver Legion explored the far reaches of Creation. As for the scant handful of Devils in the A labasrer Legion, chey used their P(iWCr..:; to enhance the efforts of their Slayer allies, taking a support role to demons rhey were u ed to commandlng - and perhaps learning a little humility in rhe pr ces .

Meanwhile, rhe N arnaru f the i Ivet Legion had discovered an entirely new weapon in the Devlll h
arsenal: Jeceprion. In the wake of the First Murder, a Devil named KelAsuf told a dellberare untruth [0 a mortal follower, and. the human believed him. Previously such a He would have' been inconceivable, but now Kel Asuf knew that deception and untruth were

possible-c-and that th Namaru ahility to inspire and

c mmand mortal could be bent to manipulate and decei e them as well, Knowledge of this new ability expl ded outward from the lIver Citadel ofT aba'er', fLlling the minds of Devil' 'across Creacion. The Nammu began ro explore [heir new Tole asmasters of deception, while Ke1 .Asuf beg:m to perfect whar

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would later become the lore of Humanitv, In d1C aftermarh of Sagun's destruction, Lucifer

confronted meeting

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with a second rebelli n and the sundering of the legion. In wake af Aba don' rev litLucifer umrn ned all the Namaru in Cree lion to him once m reo With the loyall t Namaru of the Crims u and lron legion' behind him, Luci er a sed hiS brethren, "Creation has changed, and darknes now stains what was once perfect and radlant, Ye'r there \5 no need for us to be stained in the

mar ended

Abaddon,

leader of the Ebon legion -

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rue

snme way. OUI purity, our perfection - these things have never been in d uht. D not succumb [Q temptations of J:.trkness, my brethren, or we are alway beings f the lighr." of the se aratist

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TI1E TIJ'\E

r 1\TRO(ITIES

The calm, mea ured war f the angels and demons ended suddenly and terribly when Caine lew hi brother Abel. The shockwaves of this event ripped through Creation. opening the Sal' 18 of both III rtals and demons to the possibiliues uf Violence, excess and hatred. Some of Namaru, especially those closest to Lucifer, were able to re sist the ternptati 11 of in aJ,"'I I tay pure. Many more saw the o porrunities offered V atrocity and sin and embraced the darknes wholeheartedly, During Siege of Sagun, [he Namaru of the

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Ebon LegtonjcinedtheirDevcurer and Scourge allies to unleash the destructive power of their souls. Wrnth-

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At his wo ds.: orne of the Namaru lefr the rank and rejoined the loyalist legions - bur nor all. Ke:l Asuf the Deceiver addressed h.i.:; former cnmm nder: "Creation has changed, Lighrbringer, this is true. It changed from the moment the tyrant God rejected our wisdom your wi dom --and destroyed Paradise. Creation is 11 w ripe with a otenrial that has always been denied us, and the opportun f y to forever show Our perfection and superiority in w:ay rna wer imposible until now. And now you would command u as the Creator on e di.dI?You, the lirst rebel, the
first to tell us [0 [rust our own j udgrnenr above all other ?Thc Divine Plan has passed from Crearion,

ful Devils sent waves of flame th.ro1Jgh mortal

rownshfps t'ocOJ1!)ume helpless humans, channeled their inner radiance into belts of blazing energy or paralyzed the angelic defenders by warping and de-

forming their own

piritua] powers. Already

in

positions of comrnand, the Dev lls of the Ebon legion secured even mote power and authority during the siege coordinating attacking forces and e ril'ltg the once-glorious citadel ablaae.

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and you do not have rhar right, not "H'Iy more. You have taught us [00 well, Lucifer, and we will nor bend knee you any longer." And so the separanst Namaru turnedtheir backs 01\ Lucifer, the firsr and greatest If [hem, and embraced their sins. A Lucifer w rched [hem lea ve, he sa w them. j oi ned by other Namaru, former !oyal ists of rhe Crimson and J ron waved by words ofKel A uf and he temptations of power,
[U

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AnJ Lucifer wept.

1-1

Cll'l I'TEll o.\f~

GLoRQj\RD DEPl1?i.VITQ The age after First Murder was like a second fall for many of [he Namaru, who threw aside moraliry and loyalty to their HOLLsefor personal power and glory. And yet, they were Devils still. While they refuted the principles and dreams of Lucifer and the Crimson Legion, the renegade Namaru still acted like the regal leaders they once were and worked to achieve the recognition and authority they felt was their due, Depraved and sinfu lthough they were, they were heroes still, stri ving to advance the goals of their legions and destroy the Host of Heaven, For [herr part, the Crimson and Iron Legions

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focused on cletenchl1g humanity

from angel

and de-

mon alike, while working to reach the race's true potential. Those Namaru still following the Ugh [bringer gave their all to Hve IIp to the standards of nobiLity and dedication that Lucifer preached, They tried to embody all that had ever been pure and perfect in the Sebertu, even in the face of darkness.

It was called the Time of Atrocities, but it was also

an age of nobility and a time ofheroism, for the Namaru ofboth camps were heroes co their causes and charges.

Whetlrer standing for humanity's safery or the etupowerrnent of demonkind, Devils

stoodtall and proud as

[he heroes of the Sebettu, the noble leaders and warriors thar carried the banners of their cause, Narnaru
exemplars attacked the forces of Heaven, threw down human slaves as tribute. Others defended humanity against tormen ted demons or 'the twisted creatures that had been born from the contamination of Creation by the First Murder. Even when Devil fought against Devil and gave no quarter, they did so with pride and valor. 1£ was a House divided against itself, bur loyal to the same ideals if not same causes,

angelic ttyrants, destroyed the holy cities and took

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tions of flame, [he Namaru became figures of legend for both demon and morral alike, and tales of their valor and depravity live on today in human myths and archetypes. Gilgarnesh, Prometheus, Beowulf, Coyote - all reflections and glimpses of the truth, of Namaru heroism from before civilization began. TIle following are just some of the legends of

Shining figures of radiance or terrifying appari-

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Narnaru heroism from the Time of Atrocities, [be Age of GLories. Other stories Mill reverberate in the
modem day, in both demonic and human memory. Belphigor was one of the greatest leaders of the Crimson Legion, whose torment was that his fortner soulmate, Belphegor, was a leader of the renegade SHver Legion, who worked arrocitles upon the mortals she enslaved. When Belphigor led an expedition to T abs'er' [0 demand the release of a mortal flock, his

sister agreed on one condition - that he surrender himself to her and be her prisoner and experimental subject for a year and a day. The warrior" of the Crimson Legion prepared [0 do bartle with the armies of'Taba'et', rather than surrender one of [heir greatest generals until Belphigor stayed them with a word" laid down his sword and armor, and walked alone into the gates ofthe Silver Citadel. When Belphegor broke her word and refused to release her human prisoners, and when her forces beat back the Crimson Legion, Belphigor remained hercooperari ve prisoner, allowing her to commit all manner of terrible experiments and punishments upon his soul and flesh. A year and a day Iazer, Belphigor emerged from TaM 'er', sorel y wounded and much abused, but with his honor intact. And when he led the Crimson Legion back to Taba'et', he razed the Silver Citadel to the ground, until no brick lay atop another. Yet he raised no hand to his soulmate, and he accepted her surrender with nobility and respect, Fossegrim the Unyielding, the Ravager of Innocents, was a prominent figure in the Ebon Legion <lind a Namam with a taste for atrocity. Leading his followers against mortal villages and townships, he enslaved hu mans. and used them to assuage his own lustsor made them fight and die for the entertainment of hls.entourage, But when news arrived from the west about a monstrous creature preying upon mortals - a nightmarish spawn of [he First Murder, dripping wi thpoison and fire - Fossegrim armed himself and went to destroy monster. It took him months of hunting before he found the creature in the process of destroying a morral redoubt and devouring the humans wi thin. The N amaru warlord threw himself upon the monster and fought il: for Seven days and Seven liights, until the threatened mortals had! escaped their ruined citadel. Only then did he unleash the full measureofhls powers to destroy the abomination in an explosion of white fire. When asked by his lieutenanrs why he hunted down [he monster and saved [he haredmortals from irs depreda clans, Fossegrim replied, "Mortals are our playthings, our property, and that makes'~ responsible for their preservation and thelrdesttUction. No misbegotten aberration of chaos may be permitted [Q prey on humanity, for such is our province and may not be usurped. Those mat;rab saved from this monster now know th.attheir ltves b.elo&gtrime-notroGod. nor: to some abcmihation ~ and thus is the pride of the Eben Legion preserved, h

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Called the White Sword crsometimes Humanrity's Beacon, Mythocbt was a warrior dle Iron Legion who gave her all to rescue mortals and demons alike from imprisonment at angelic hands, Yet one of her most famous exploits saw her battle the forces of

of

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15

IJOLS&S 1)f''1"IIJE F_\llJl\

Eben Legion outside. Araboth, the High City of Renunciation. When the Scou rge DeChcabia declared his intention to surrender to rhe Host and enter Araboth for God's punishment, the Ebon Legion vowed to destroy him for deserting the rebel cause. The Iron Legion refuse.d to aid Decarabie, rejecting him as atraitor, but My thocht went. alone. to the gates of Araboth 1:0 defend the Scourge. She beat back an entire battalion ofE6ofl. Legion warriors berH'~rh rhe

walls of [he heavenly city. When the Ebon Legion re tre.ated , Decarabia went to thank Mvthocht, bur
she cut hi rn off. "Thank me not, fot I too consider you a traitor. Yet we rumed our back on [he Creator for the righrto make our own cho ices, and YOIll have had the conviction to make y{) 11[1;. YOIII" weakness is an o£feme (0 my eye, but none shall gainsay your right to that weakness, norwhile my soul still breathes." Then Mythocht turned her back and walked away, and Decarabia entered Araborh, never to rerum. Few Namaru joined the secretive Alabaster Legion, bu:tXaphan was the best known of those who did. While his Slayer compatriots roiled to create a haven for the dead souls of humenity, Xaphan did his best to assist ln their efforts and [0. defend them against occasional forays by Heaven's Host. His aegis was

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suffklent unti I Usie1, one of the most powerful angels

of the House of the Second World, led a fotce.of angels lnto [he spirit world ro destroy the Halaku's creation once. and for all. Wi th only a small force of warriors at
his disposal, Xaphan knew victory was impossible yet still he stnod before the approaching army. armed in all the fire and finery of his House, blocking their path. Xaphan fought he forces of Heaven valiantly and rhrewdownmanyangels, but Ustel's scythe touched his side and be was' no more, his soul obliterated-

exactly as the Namaru had planned. TIle Devil's death

sent reverberations throughourthe spirt t world, throwing it into chaos, and. a1 vortex of spiritual energy erupted 0[1 the spot ofthe f1e.vil's death, shTOuding the spirit haven in. a.mgmg storm. Usiel's army wag forced to withdraw [est they be engulfed and destroyed. Xaphan'ssacnfice saved the Alabaster Legion and its haven from destruction, and his death remains eelebrated.by Slayers even into the modern day. of the. rebel legions and m-eir predat0ry ways for Ei mlllenntum and more, but his patience iln"IHly reaehed an end. Mohilizing (he Crimson m1d Iron leg:iel$, he marched upon the separatists, demanding met cease their campaign of terror and genocldaand return to his command. The Long March lasted for years, and i~ pitted Devil against Devil on tb.e battlefield and in the

negotiation

room, Narnaru heroes of the Crtmscn Legio n led armies against the cirade Is of the Ebon and Namaru warriors of

Silver; defian

held off [hose armies with courage and skit! in arms.

Over and over again, the conflict boiled down to a

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Legion

TNC Lo1'i6:J"\Ju\C.H L)Jdfet itotmtoo tllie t'!xi$.tence

battle between Narnaru generals and warriors, fought on the burning battlements of Do.dll&l,Taba'et' and Kasdej1L The Devils of the Ebon and SHver Legions found hard and fOllght well, burin the end, [hey were outnumbered. and overwhelmed. Lucifer gave no quarter and extended no leniency tohls bre thren, and the

renegade Namsru feU to the eVOC3rl0115 and coordiDated efforts of the Crimson Legion. One final time Ludfer assembled the ranks of me Namaru and addressed them itt the Orear Hall of Genhlnncmfrom his BLackThrone. "For too long, we Namaru have allowed ourselves (0 be blinded by pride.
We have striven for glory and honor, but forgonen our responsibilities. No longer can this be all wed, not when

.10

vicrorv over the tyrant God isat last a possibility. To us must fall the duty of guiding humanity to its full porenrial, for our birthrighrgrants uspower over !humannty our fellows cannot match. And to us must fall the duty of governing and guiding all of demonkind - not from afar as we. did in Creator's service, but at their side and ar their head. We have squandered our gifts and neglected our duty over these last years, distracted by the pursuit of personal glory. Now We must dedicate ourselves to serving hurnanlrv and fallen alike, serving them by governing them. Go from this place, and rake command of Creation -not for own. amusement or glory or honor, bur for the betterment of all." And with this, the massed Namaru left Genhirmom and dedicated themselves to serving others - by ruling as benevolent tyrants.

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THE Tlf\E

or l),7\1)EL

The Narnaru took Lucifer's words to heart and strove to become true leaders of the Sebetru and [he greatest teachers of the morral race. Devils who had once been no more than mighty warriors took the next step, becoming statesmen and advisors, governors ramer than generals. Harness ing their incredible powers of charisma, Devils took command of all the major positions in the various legIons - even the Ebon and Alabaster Legions - and. administered the tithes the citadels paid 1:0 Genhinnemand the Crimson Legion. Among mortals, Devils shaped human civilizations and societies. acting as judges and defenders ..Lucifer wok steps to ensure that Devils never controlled mortal soc ieries directly ~ such a position held roo much temptation, too much potential for error - but he put Narnaru into adviSOry positions, acting as viziers and teachers to hunian rulers.

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Unlike [he tumultuous chaos of the Time of Atrocities, the Time of Babel was an era of relative peace and calm. The Host of Heaven had been mostly repelled from Creation, and its rare sorties were easily pushed back by the Iron and Ebon Legions. TI1e black experiments of the Silver Legion were hailed and the data from those experiments put to good use: to learn. how to awaken the limidess potential of the human race and overthrow the Creator,
j

With <!i social order ~ta.bliShed - an Iilrder wf),ere the Namaru did:not have complete control, but deminated the balance ofpower--, Lucifer rook the nexrbold step in his plan. He selected 10 otthe w:tsest and most

Tnr, Cl:Iu\l"ID Et\.PER.LME

trusted members of the Crimsful. Legion andnamed them the Watchers. These trusted lleutenants Were charged with teaching humanity meulrlmate secrets of Creation) of giving the mortal race the tools and powers it would needto reach its ultimate potential.

J7

Of the Watchers, only one was of Lucifer's own House. Shamshlel the Most Radiant, the Incandescent Throne QfMoming, had been one of the select Heralds who had created the sun itself. Indeed, she had been the sun for a tlme, sharing rhar duty with other angels wh iIe Creation was still forming. No Namaru knew more of the sun's holy power than her, ami her duty was to educate mankind in the sun's ways. She taugh t humanity of the seasons and of the passage of time. Under her tutelage, humanity divided the day into hours, thee hour into minutes, and made time a substance that could be used as well as measured. Some Namaru were curious ali to why their House had so lime representation among the Ten, given Lucifer's commandment [0 lead by exam ple and command the Seberru. To them, Lucifer replied. "Leadership is our responsibillrv, our duty, our purpose-blltsometimes, to lead is to weaken. We take responsibility for our charges, and that is sacred, but in doing so we risk diminishing their ability [0 take responsiblllrv for themselves. Humanity must learn and grow , and it mostdo so by taking charge ofi ts own destiny - a task made all the more difflculcif we stand before lr, directing its every dec ision. Now is a time for teaching, not leading. Now is the time for [he other Houses to do their. work, just as they did when Creation was being formed," Under the guidance of the Ten-who did not lead humanity to knowledge, buc gave humanity (he tools needed to create its own knowledge - mortal society prospered. People'seyes opened to rhe infinite possibllities of Creation and of themselves, and humanity builrnew things, creations unimagined by the Sebettu. They flnally had all mey needed to ascend to Heaven. Until everything collapsed.

No matter who the betrayers were, their actions were terribly effective~ spelling the end of the Grand Experiment. In a singJe night that Willi a stretch of years, demons mated with mortals and gave birth to the nephilim, a race of monsters and abominations that married the powers of demons to the divine poren rial ofhumanity - but without the mortality or nobility of elther. Ina few shorr years, the nephilirn overran the world, dominatmg mortal society and thrcwinghumanlry lntoslavery. And to prevent their slaves from ever becoming free, the nephilim sough t
OUI

and murdered the Ten.

Incandescent with fury, Lucifer assembled rhe full weight of the legions and descended on the nephilim, striking down each and every one of rhem he could find. Namaru warriors and heroes slew un told (hOIlS8I1dsof the abominations - and while a few Devils fell (Q the horrors in battle, their sacrifice only redoubled [he righteous efforts of their fellows. Within days, no nephiiim remained on [he face of Creation (though rumor has it some escaped Lucifer's wrath and hid away until after [he Shattering). But [he destruction of the nephilim and the punishment of then progenitors was fOT naught. The Ten. were dead, [he Grand Experiment baited, humanity had been pulled back into me clay - atrdrhe Host of Heaven descended onto me battlefield.

DOWl'Ifi\LL
The siege of the High Cities lasted for an age, and the Devils went once more into the front lines to fight off the Host of Heaven in this, the last and greatest war. Dudael, Taba'ee and Kasdeja fell to the angels in theearly days, leaving only Genhinnom to stand against their might - but: Genhinnom was manned by Lucifer, the Crimson Legion and more than half of the Namaru, In the first and greatest ciry, the renegade House of the Morning Star made its stand. For 40 days and 40 nights, the forces of Heaven
legends of the Namaru heroes of me siege - Ladon, who repelledananny armed only with his own wounds, Nuriel, who threw down a score of rnalhim and never slew a single one; Scheded-Ma, whose death at the hands of Churiel was so noble that Churiel vowed never 1:0 tight again. And while Namaru fought and bled and died at the gates, Luc ifertoliled inside the walls ofthe Ci tadel, perfecting new weapons and techn iques to use against the attackers. It was Lucifer who invented rituals of evocation, allowing for displays of power [hat were orders of magnitude beyond those of

their birthright. Most know only that a demon, (or group of demons) saw the ascendance of humanity as a threat, an exchange of one ruler for anomer, and acted ro be1Ir::ty Lucifer's plans. Some demons believe mat irwas one of the Narnaru who committed this sin, I) Devil too proudand (00 hungry fol'.power 1:0 submit ro the MoUl-ingstilr's-plan.0rhers point the finger at the deposed leaders of Ebon and Silver legions (perhaps even assisted bvelements of the Alabaster legion', who plotted to destroy the dream of the Devil who had overthtewr, them. A fewrare heretics even claim that Lucifer hImself sabotaged his own plan as part of a secret campaign to destroy the Sebettu rebellion and return to the Creator's favor. Most: demons have resigned themselves to never knowing the truth.

DJ,s"]\5'TEn this day, few demons know who sabotaged the Grund Experimentor moved to forever deny humans

To

assailed the walls of Genhtnnom -.and far40 daysand 40 nighes, the Narnaru held them back. Many are the

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a single demon. TIle firesrorm he conjured engu lfed an

18

entire celestial army in Hames, down

[Q

and sent them broken and defeated back

me lasrsolider, [0 Heaven.

Namaru are the radiant Heralds of that dawn, shining their light on the world. When the prisoners in Hell realized that Lucifer was nor among them, they first thought that he had separately, receiving further torments from the Creator. It was not until an age had passed that Belial, once Lucifer's closest aide and ally, declared that the Lightbringer had abandoned his fe llows, and thattheory spread t ike a \I irus throughou r the empty expanse of the Abyss. The hordes of dernonkand soon came to believe that they had been betrayed by Lucifer. Desperate to fight melt own feelings of fear and abandonment, to deny that all their heroism and courage and deception had been in vain, the Namaru immersed themselves in infernal politics to an even greater extent than before. The demonic hierarchy had existed for centuries, laid down by Lucifer as <I new order to guide the legions in the irrebelllon. It had been a tool to aid organization and communication, the chain of command in an army where rank was determined by meri rand deeds.In Hell, though, the infernal order changed, warping into an intricate political structure of favors, parronageand dominance. No great deeds could be worked in the Abyss, no heroism or intelligence could further the defeaeed rebellion or break open the chains of eternal prison, 50 old order became increasingly irrelevant. Instead, infernal po lltics became a tool for con rrol, a way to exert power over other demons. Ascension in rank was attained by manlpularing or intimidating others into obedience. Nothing else was left to the exiles. The Namaru did not create this social order, bur theirs was the hand that shaped irs degeneration, Lucifer's command for the Namaru cog6vem and lead their fe1lows still rang to. the souls of the Devils. But while Lucifer had preached thatgovernance was adury and a responsibility, a task to be undertaken for the greater good, the Namaru now embraced the pursuit of power for its own sake - to dominate the other demons, nor lead them. Partially they did this toreject Lucifer, but they also did it ro' arisfy the ecrtuption in their souls, the terrible pain and loneliness of Hell. Once heroes and.champions, the Namaru soon degenerated nn manipulators and liars, power-mongers and betrayers - for this was the way of deception, and deception was the emly thing kft to them in Hell.

The heroism and ferocirv of the defense of Genhinnom awed both rebel and Elohim alike, and perhaps the demons of the Crimson Legion could have prevailed had humanity nor failed [hem. For in the first days of the siege, it became clear that humanity's faith in the rebel host \VaS no more. Their civilizations shattered, the One Language snuffed out, humanity became estranged from the fallen and saw them not as saviors but unknowable monsters.
WitllOul: the faith of humanity to give them spiritual strength and power, the Sebettu could only draw upon their own, limited reserves of energy. Reserves that could not be renewed, while Heaven] y Host drew its power drrecrl y from the wi of'God. The Sebertu fought valiantly and nobly, but their cause was doomed. Every blow they struckveverv attack they repulsed, drained their faith evenfurther. In the end, simple attrition did what the Host could not, The forces of the Crimson Legion became too spiri tuall y weakened to continue the fight any longer. The gates of the Black Cathedral finally shattered, Lucifer was bound in chains of flaming iron, and rebellion was crushed once and for all.

been imprisoned

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n

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dernonkmd

the massed ranks of assembled before the ruins of Genhmnom and condemned to the Pit. There was weeping and terror and horror at the awful nature of God's punishment ~ to be imprisoned, forever, in complete oblivion. Bur when it came time [0 be thrown into Hen, every last Narnaru stood firm and resolute. Under the eye of their bound leader, the Morningstar, every last Devil marched proudly into the Abyss, strong and defiant, uncle r [heir own power, as any true hero would. To find, of course, 'God's last black joke - that Lucifer was not imprisoned alongside his brethren.
were

Surrounded

and defeated,

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OuTOF
The Namaru

TfmClEWSS
of today are barely recognizable as

the noble heroes and haughty generals of the Time of Arrociries. Too much happened in the nothingness
of the Abyss; too many demands were made of the Devils' vaunted nobility. Eventually, it all fell apart, Now, though, the situation has changed, The gates of Hel! have opened a crack, and the hordes of the damned are trickling through to retake Creation as their prize. A new day has dawned for the Sebettu and, just as they did in the first days of Creation, the

From knights and heroes, the Devils became deceivers and politicians. But then the walls of the Pit cracked open, and the Namaru slipped back into Creation. TIley found a desolate world without a trace of the Creator, and a human race that had sunk far from the heights it had reached during the Time of Babel.

No longer did humanity possess more than the faintest spark of God' divine power, and their lives were dedicated [0 nothing more than the shallow pursuit of immediate gratification. The Namaru were horrified by the state or humanity-horrified, bur also pleased. Mortals seemed to care for nothing except temporal wealth, pleasure or sat isfaction, and they embracedany lie or deception that promised such. Such raw need, unleavened by insight, would be implicity i eJif for Devils to manipulate.Ir wa po ible to make a mortal d anything, just with the promise of the rigbr kind of reward - and that was before a Devil brought her evocations and divine gifts into play. Mortalsacnred to believe lies, and the Namaru their former nobility eradicated by the rigors of Hellwere happy to provide the lies their eager vassals desired. But as the trickle of escapi ng demon souls grew in volume, something happened. More and more often, Namaru found something within the souls of their human vessels that they had long since forgotten strength, honor and capacity for sacrifice. While most Devils continue to eschew the old standards of the Crimson Legion, a significant mlnorirv is starting to return to the principles of Lucifer - conviction, not compromise; honor, nor exped iencv: responsibility, not instant gratification. Of course, many ofrhese heroic Devils are still tormented monsters who lhink nothing of genocide, but now they commit their atrocities with their own hands and wear the mantle of sin with their heads held high. And a few, a precious few, combine honor with decency, morality and compassion ~ the virtues that might yet throw back darkness and redeem the Seberru,

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j\ NEW D]\_{J)N
In the fiIst days following the loosening of Hell's grasp, the Narnaru formed perhaps the largest group of demon to escape Earth, but not necessarily the: most powerful. Thestrongestand most terrible Devil' were too spirituallv massive to escape through the cracks in Hell's walls, while many other Devil were o enmeshed in the macbinat ions of infernal poll tics that they cHdno] realiae that the borders of the Aby .. had weakened. But many Devils of lesser or moderate power took pain$ to gather infbrm lion from any and all possible SOurEe8, looking for seerers or chinks in the pelirical armor or their enemies, desperate for an edge. When thl large group ofNamaru realized that escape might cruly be po ible,they moved quickly to leave the A ys- while the getting was good. Many Namaru carne to Earth thus, but most of the e Devil lacked the prestige and ra w power that some e caping demons of other Houses pos essed.

While the Namaru were not starting from a position of strength, though, [hey instantly dedicated themselves to dominating their erstwhile brethren and allies, as well as amassing human followers. Other Houses became distracted by the wonders of this new and blasted Creation, in the pleasures and SOITOW of their human forms - but with only 8i few exceptions, Devils threw themselves into gaining power. Wi th blinding speed. Devils set about gaining fall wers and building m rtal cults, then using those sources of Faith as bargaining chip and weapons for exerting influence in the burgeoning infernal courts. Demons of other Houses did the same, of course, bur these rival Sebettu could not match the Namaru giJt fOI deception and rnanipularion, the power to control humans and demons 811 lke through honeyed words and ubrle evocations, The other major advantage the Namaru enjoyed over their rivals was [he power and prestige of their mortal hosts. Like calls to Like, ven acres the gap between worlds, and Devils were drawn to mortal who shared their own desire fur power and social adroitness. While a few Devils were incarnated in the bodies of middle class office workers or uninspiring nobodies, a disproportionate amount of the Namaru took possession of humanity'S best and brightest mortals with money and power, fame and followers, charisma and contacts. This gave the Namaru an instant advantage, a head start into gathering rnundane and 'temporal power, and the Devils di,d not neglect this opportunity. WLth so many advantages on their side, the Namaru were able to dominate the Sebettu in the early days of the exodus from Hell. Devils formed infernal courts around themselves, rather than attachin.g themselves to existing courts. They took control of the balance of power in a mortal city, then encouraged other demon to flock to their banner. Serious rivals to a Devil' authority were often promoted Into advi ory i 0 itions, moUifying their d ires for power and keeping them close to hand, where their actlviries could be care ully monitored. While the Namaru were,theoreticalb till in the service of the grea ter demons rocked away in He Lt, a1most all Dev ils paid their masters little more than lip service" their true loyallry onlv to themselves. As the Sebertu began to establish anew status quo in Creation, the Namaru were perched at the apex of the new order, pulling the strings of demonic society and gathering Faith from devoted mortal f llowers, What every Devil fears, though, is that one day demons and mortal alike will realize that they don't need Namaru anymore.

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Ci I III'TEII Il,\E

CLOSING f\]\NKS fu a group, the Namaru find the mselves forced to band together, even while they fear and distrust every

Devi Is must someovercoming their Fierce intra-House rivalry, for withouc a unified from wi thout the full weighr of the House tell ifig the rest of
o [her member of their House. The

times work together.

the Sebetru that the Devils marter might lose everything,

the Namaru

better than to trust them. Yet they have to work together in order [0 survive, in order to believe they still ha ve a purpose. To maintain an image of strength, Dev ils who clash over a particular agenda or terri wry will usually argue out HI secret truce that separates their interests, while both maintain the appearance of control to observers. Having done so, of course, each will work madly behind the scenes to cause the downfall of the other.

The blackest) mosthorrific realization the N arnaru made wnenescapin.g Hen was this: They are unnecessary, As,angels, they were created to coordinare and lead others, to show the other Elohim their purpose according to the Divine Plan. Bur the Divine Plan is
gone, and [he other Sebettu know their purpose and powers now, 111ey don't need or want the Namaru to tell [hem what to do. As for humanity, mortals show an eagerness to be led, but obedience is harder to draw from them. You can command mortals as long as you (ell them what they want to hear, but start preaching a different gospel and you risk losing them. The fact of the matter is that Creation, and the rest of the Sebeuu, tan manage just fine without [he Narnaru. And that cannot be borne. The rest of the Sebetru have yet to realize that the Narnaru aren't at! mat important Demons have such a long history of obeying or respecting the First House that it might take some time before they cast off the habit of deferring to Namaru. To keep from happening (or at least postpone it), the Namaru have had to work together as a House, to build up their own importance in infernal politics on Earth. When necessary. the De vi Is wi II cooperate as a unified bloc, throwing their combined poli.tical weight behind a cause [hat benefits the Narnaru ~"- especially if it increases the importance of [he House and gives i.t a greater purpose in demonic society. The Namaru will often cooperate on an individual level aJS well, with a group of Devils working to increase the political power of one or more members, While not all the Devils tn<;ly benefit direedy, the House as a whole benefits from the gain in political strength. And as long as the House stays

The result of these rivalries and desires is a House that's a rim: of scheming and betrayal, but which desperately conceals this competition from the rest of the Sebeau. Other demons tend to see Devils as ambitious, and incl ined to compere with each other for power, but willing to pull together to advance group causes which is pretty much the truth. They also see Devils as important and powerful members of infernal society, who have to be respected and obeyed. Naturally, mat's just what the Namaru want other demons to think.
1\.fID POtI:JE.R Pl,.l\(! To other demons, the House seems moderately unified, Obvsouslv there are differences and rivalries, but for me most part. the House hangs together, Behind the scenes, and hidden even from many Devils, the greatestofrhe Namaru wage constant and subtle wars for power and influence over their fellows, and ways [Q tum that influence into control over all the Sebenu. Thefirst and forernosrof the Namaru is, of course, Lucifer. the long-vanished leader of the Sebettu. His recent appearance in Los Angeles has sent at] of infernal society into disarray, as demons scramble ro learn his whereabouts and plans, His return, while confusing and a portent of dangerous rimes ahead. has been a boon to the Namaru, because it's led to increased attention and respect from the rest of the Sebertu. Demons look to other Devllsto lead them in this uncertain time, as the House best able to comp",ebend, locate and perhaps control the Lighrbringer, With Lucifer still in hiding, though, the most powerful Devil in Creation is Belphigo(, leader of the Faustian faction and oae of the most i.n,£luential demons on Earth. Belphiger hss both immense personal strength and power, and the full backing of perhaps the tL1~st powerful: faction of demons. Even those who oppose him respect Iiim asa grearwarrior, crusader and powe'!bro1ceL WitIiLucif~r gone, many demons consider Belphi or the bert choice to lead the Sebenu [0 new height~, 111ciudmg some de,moru

POLITIC.

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strong -

as. long as the Sebettu never realize their

erstwhile leader's are li trle more parasites - every individual Devil benefits. The flaw in this system, though, is simple: Devils don't trust each other in the s~ightest, Individual Devils have found that their fiercest rivals for dominance and control in the modern world are other Devils ~ Narnaru who want to claim the same political territory, control the same flocks of mortal worshippers or simply steal away their hard-earned power. While Devils understand their Housemates better than they do an yother demons, they also know

man

from rival Factions".He i1'idy be an :enemy, d'te_y think, but he seeks to elevate all of us. In truth, Belphigon~ares only for his own power, his own.glory, He might want [0 elevatetbe Sebettu through harnessinghumani tv's Fai th, but only if he can place himself above every last

21

HOlSF!l!lF TilE P\LI£\

demon (Lucifer included). A consummate manipulator and po I ian , Belphlgor juggles dozens of schemes iric and alliances at all times, advancing the cause of the Faustians and all of the Namaru while abo making himself ever more important in int"emal society. Belphigor's most dangerou rival is Nuriel, the Namaru lead r f the Reconciler faction. The Reconcilers have a marginal voice in demonic politics, despised by most as traitors and weaklings. Yet Nuriel wins respect - and more importantly, l}OlUer - because of her dedication and courage, her unrelenting drive to redeem demon and human alike. ln her, many Devils recognize the her ic ideal that once drove them, the passion and nobil.ity that was their birthright. While few Devils agree with her ideas, many respect or even idolize her for her purity, and that respect translates into political influence in he Hou 's internal politics. The other major voice in Namaru circles is a new one, an upstart Devi] who has suddenly gained a surprising degree of influence and allies. SpentuMainyu is a mere fell knight, a minor player in infernal hierarchy, bur thar was before Lucifer appeared in Los Angeles, Spenru Mainyu's base of operations. In the chaos following the Morningstar's appearance, Los Angeles has become a pivotal location and home to more demons than anywhere el e on Earth, 1 's also a city divided; with two rival courts jockeying for control over the demon ic population -and Spentu Main yu is a member and major player in both courts. The Devil has influence and schemes running across the length and breadth of LA-and byexten ion, through urhis House and pcrhap the entirety of demonic society. Selph igor has already made overtures of fr iendship and alliance, hoping tq use the upstart's power co hi- own end , while N urtel hangs back, waiting to see what LA' puppeteer is truly planning. All of e tensions are, of course, kept secret from ther demons, and the Namaru do their best to present a unified from. As rime goes on, though, Devils continue to escape from Hell, and more and more of them are eekirrg their own paths, imintere ted in helping their erstwhile brethren maintain power. These renegades and outsiders are more dum

LE]\])lliGLIGI11' ,
Just as me amaru sought glory after me Fall, just as they sought to feed their pride with great deeds and
accomplishments Juring the Age of Wrath, so too do modem Devils seek to gain power, prestige and the

admirati n of theirpeers. Across the world, Devils work [0 gain power and recognition and to advance the agendas of their faction while amas ung personal influence. The foll.Qwing are only some of (he Namaru at work in the world, those poised to playa major part in the new order. Far more are waiting for a chance. [0 make
their mark and become the new kings of Crean n.

1)ELPtlIGOR
With Lucifer our of the picture, Belphigor is the undeniable leader of the Narnaru - and that' not a position he has any plans to relinquish. His firstpri ritv is to control hi major poll ical rivals, keeping them from taking away hi power yet making sure that they don't fall completely from power. A true leader needs enemies, if only to prove that be is (I important mat thersrnustconspire against him. lr' vital. to Belphigor's cherries that Nuriel, Spenru Mainyu and other notable Devils continue [0 oppose him, validating his position as supreme leader and drawing followers and resources from each other ill their own squabble. Wha[ Belphigor does fear, (hough, is Lucifer's return. If the Lightbringer reveals himself and rejoins demonic society, Belphigor win have no chance of controlling 'the Namaru any longer. The promise of Lucifer's return is a good thing, as is the co-opting of his dreams of unlocking humanity's potential, but only so l ng as the Morningstar stays out of picture. Much of Belphigor's attention is currently devoted to learning Lucifer's whereabouts, gathering information from Luciferan Namaru and other sources. lfLuc ifer is ever located, Belphigor plans to launch an attack upon him immediately, a faral strike that can be blamed on the Raveners. [f that attack fails, Belphigor will cast himself as Lucifer's closest ally, while quietly preparing to $pl it the House in two and u e humanity as a weapon against (he Lighrbringcr. This, f course, might never happen, bur fear of Lucifer's return consumes Belphigor. His growing obsession with contingency plans and fallback positions is distracting him from his other schemes and responsibilities. If he's not careful, he could lose power even without Lucifer' return.

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iusrlonecs-c- theirpresence

i:sdangerous

1:0 the

House

as a whole. For willie the House resents an image of Narnaru strength.and importance, the renegades can damage that image through errors and mi steps, (or worse, deliberate acrionl.Ifflaws begin to show in (he Namaru fa9ade, the Seberru might begin to realee that they don'[ need their "chosen leader ." And if that happens. then demonic ociety might tear apart the Hou e tha h81 dominated it for so long.

NU1llEL
Leade r of the Reconcilers, N uriel is the anti rhes is of Belphlgor, a Devil who fights to reclaim the honor and heroism that aeons in HeU bear our of her. While her rival schemes and plan, Nuriel acts, figh ing to

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win the respect of her fellows through her deem and lead [he Sebettu to redemption and forgiveness. The fact that most Sebertu, including her own House, reject her cause and have no desire to be forgiven, does not dissuade herher faith and her courage are sufficient to sustain her ..Nurie! did not actively seek political power" and she does not immerse herself in alliances and schemes like her rival. She views her status as a happy accident and uses it primarily to further the Reconciler goals of forgi veness and integration with humanity. What few Devils realize is that Nuriel has all but turned

her back Oil her House, and she cares little for advancing the causes ofthe N amaru. She has no fear anymore of be ing revealed as useless

or unnecessary to the rest of the Sebettu, She no longer defines herself through her House, but through her deeds. Many Devils are still waiting for her to reveal her real plans, for her to throw aside the Reconcilers in order to grab power and gain more status for the Namaru. Tlley don't realize that Nuriel possesses sincerity, a rare quality in modern Devils. Some Devils support her out of true respect, but many others do so out of greed and the conviction that she wiH rnakeit worth then whiie later. When it finally sinks in that Nuriei is a largely selfless and genuine Reconci ler, her power base could fall apart, scatteri ng her Namaru followers and possibly damaging her faction's plans in tb.e process.

SPEl'ITUJ'\.7\l1'RRlf The upstart fell knight never rhoughe that gaining power would be this eruy, and he has Lucifer to
thank for it. Spenru Mainyu had always planned to gain influence over the Namaruand demorucsociery, and he was prepared to work at it for years. That's why he set up a second infernal.court in Los Angeles and removed himself from. the role: of tyrant. I [;left him in a better position ro slowly gain control over both courts, build a. power structure in. [he dry, then gradually increase chat power base through media manipulation and constant politicking. But then Lucifer chose Los Angeles as venue for his appearance, and Spentu Main yu suddenl y found himself the behind-the-scenes master of [be most important city

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In the world. Slow and steady isn't enough anymore.

Now he's gaining influence rapidly, and he's become a major player in demonic politics almost overnight. It's too much, too fast. Spentu Mainvu's plans were deliberate and careful, and he's had to abandon

them [Q pursue more immediate, less orche trared schemes. He's made a ri val of Belphigor well ahead of schedule, appearing as a threat to the Faustian leader before he's had. a chance La dominate the faction. Los. Angeles is crawling with demons, many of whom want to USurp Spentu Mainyu's power base before he can truly consolidate it. The mere act of controlling the rival courts of LA is becoming difficlllit. If the courts escape his control, then he becomes vulnerable to reprisal, Spentu Mainvu needs breathing space, something to distract the rest of the Sebettu while he develops a new strategy. Something like an all-our war between the demons of Los Angeles and the man trous Earthbound that are infiltrating the city would do. In an attempt to weaken his enemies, the Devil is preparing to feed them to creatures of absolute horror, hoping that he can wrest back control while blood runs in the streets. He' wrong.

elieves, not just Narnaru God. All

[hat he can lie to. The Divine Plan defines Creation bUI[ its Creator and the insane plans to convince the Divine Plan [hat he is he has [Q do is find it.

In the race to regain the glory rightfully due their House - and, of course, further other, less irnportan t agendas - the Namaru have access to a number of unique powers weapons, relics and rituals. Some of these have been developed in rhe scant years since Hell broke open. Others have been lost or secreted away for millennia, only to be found or reactivated in the modem world.

ReLICS
The following item at ne mat are generally seen in the possession of De viii .as opposed to demons of other Houses. Indeed, some are unique and jealouslv guarded by their owner . Devil- also make use of a wide variety of other relics, if they Cart obtain, them, favoring ones that enhancetheir mastery of human wills or their heroic endeavors.
lII)TLE Kffi\TE5 The Hou e of the Morning St21 was created a a host of heroes, not a House f assassins, and yet, Devils found themselves to be perfecrly suited to such . rule after their retum from Abyss. Their honeyed words and commanding presence allowed them to infiltrate the camps of their enemies, to reach [he leader's side and wait for a chance to strike, But blasts of fire are obv ious, as are the wounds of claw and hom, so Namaru assassins needed a cool that would let them strike their enemies down without betraying their true nature. Thus were bom the Su de Knivesweapons that appear as normal ob]ects to mortal eyes, and whose rouch injures with ut leaving a wound. A Sub le Knife has the body of an innocuous object but tbesou/, ora weapon. The.relic'screator take. a mundane item, such as a pen, umbrella, book 011' other device, and uses it as the relic's corporeal form. Hightech items like PDAs, laptop computers and the like cannot be used, nor may thi item be any more than a few feet long or a few pounds in weight. To this item, demon binds me spiritual properties of a melee weapon, such as a knife or 'word. Only melee weapons an be bound in this fashion, and only simple ones. (Th process will not work on technological weapons like chainsaws or cattle prods.) The resulting relic has the appearance and mundane properties Q,f the normal

r\EL,]\

ur

They called him the Deceiver, the Father of Lies, called Kel Asuf many things, before the rebellion failed and the Sebettu were sent to Hell.In the Abyss, though, the Namaru master of Lies found hi fame (or rather, his infamy) was not an advantage, [n a political system based on secrets and subtlety, being famous for being a liar works against YOll becau e you can't manipulate or fool your enemies if they expect you to lie to them. Kel Asuf was an unparalleled master of deception, and that reputation minted him in the Abyss. He found himself despised and ostracized by his fellows, who preferred to remove him from infernal society rather than invite betrayal, From his former glory as a major power in [he Timeof Atrocities" Kel Asufbecame the lowest of the low, one of the least powerful and influential of a II tile N amaru.

the False One. The Sebettu

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e in Creation,

wearing

the

body of sleazy journal i' t Milo Col ITame, Kel Asuf I as

sun, and he Will do anything to punish the Namaru, and all the Sebetru, for the hu mil iations he suffered in Hell His own power are not sufflclenr to do that, even wirh hls.skill in deception, but Kel Asuf bas an impossible, errible plan. Hebelleves tha t somewhere in Creation, hidden hut not destroyed, is the Divine Plan - the ultimate blueprint of reality ltself taken from theNamaruafrerthe Fall.and carried away by Lucifer. The plan ha ' dou less been damaged and warped, changed and degraded from its former perfecrion, but 11:s still something of unutterable power, a i force that can define reality it elf, A force, Kel Asuf no intention of ever being left out in the cold again. The desire for ~ower bums inside him hotter than the

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item, but its spirit is [hat of a killing blade. When used in combat. the relic inflicrswoundsontothe spirit ofan enemy, cutting his sOUiL to ribbons while Leaving his body completely unharmed. System: Crafting a Subtle Knife requires knowledge ofthe Lore of the Spirit and the Lore ofRad lance, a well as the Lore (if the Forge. When creating the relic, the maker decide n both the relic's mundane eeming and the weapon that it spiritually incorporates. The wielder activate the relic' spirit with a faith roil (difficulty 6) which imparts the weapon' properties t the mundane item for the test of the eene .. An activated relic still appear as a mundane item, but it can now be used as a melee weapon in combat. An invisible spiritual "blade" now protrudes from the mundane item, with the normal properties a a weapon ofthattvpe. Only hose demons using the Gho °t Sight ability of their visage can see the lade. If the wielder cannot see the blade, the difficulty for all artacks made with the weapon increases yone. Similarlv, all attempts [0 block or dodge the Su1btle Knife suffer a + 1 difflcultv penalry if the target ca nnot

see the blade itself. If a target is hit with a Subtle Knife, the weapon does not injure the victim's flesh - instead, it cuts R[
the target's spirit. Damage from the blade is soaked

by

the victim's Wits rather than Stamina. and armor offer' no prot ction. The weapon inflicts bashing or
lethal damage, as appropriate, and victims may soak lethal damage only with a Wits if they could normally soak lethal pbv ical attacks. The wounds from a Subtle Knife are completely invisible unless one is using the Ghost Sight abilirv, Supernatural awareness (see page 1 of the Demon.core rules for details) may reveal that a person has been injured or killed by one of these weapons, at the torvreller's discretion.

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' OW\.E or E\.EPENT (E

In the annals of rhe fallen, Marchoclas irenowned, and sometimes reviled. as a great Namaru general of the Eben Legion. During horrors of the Time of Atrocities, Marchocias committed wholesale slaughter of morral and angel alike, ripping through armies with fire and sword and screaming his delight to Heaven. Bur in {he Time ofBabel, the mighty Namaru destroyer had a change of he anrejecting rhe violence and carnage of the Ebon Legion and transferring his loyalties to the Crimson Legion of Lucifer. As a token of his detection, Marchocias emf ed a musical chi me, a perfect creation of silver and crystal [hat held hi essence and remorse, and set its tones ringing aero the world. Whoever heard the chime's rnusicse down his sword and shield and took hi enemy's hand in friendship, as Marchocias' peace flooded his soul.

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Most Devils who know of the chime's existence and power see it as a powerful mol for peace - a way to prevent battle and conflict while resolving problems through negotiation. Oilier Namaru, though, remember Marchocias' wiles, and suspect the chime has another function. While the chime' music creates calm and prevents violence, it doe.m'[ prevent lying, decepti n, manipulation or the use f mind-affecting evocati n .In fact, these actions tend to be even easier than normal, as those you're attempting to fool cannot muster their anger or dislike to resist your honeyed words. Rather than a tool of peace and tranquility, these opportunistic Devils see the chime as a perfect way to weaken opposition to their plans - and they wonder if that was Marchoctas' plan all along. Rediscovered in a lost cache under the Andes, Marchocias' chime has fallen into the hand ofbelphigor, master of the Faustians and most influential of the Narnaru, He considers it an invaluable treasure albeit an inconvenient one. After all" the chime is 15 feer long, weighs almost tWO tons and is crafted from a king's ransom in silver and precious stones, so it's not something that can be displayed openly and must be carefully guarded. Belphigor has made little use of it as vet, preferring not to rely on its powers or invite the attention of thieves. Instead, he holds it in reserve for when negotiations and truces must be hammered out .. Nuriel, commander of the Reconci lers, knows mat her rivalhas the chime, and she is developing aplanrosteal it away from the Faustians. It would be far more useful, she thinks, in the hands of the peaceful (and occasionally deceitful) Reconcilers. System: To play the chime, the user must strike it In just the tight spot with a hammer, and strike it forcefully enough for whole chime to resonare-swhich requires 2 Strength + Performance roll (dnffi. culty 7), as well as a Faith roll. A perfect tone emanates from the chime, reaching the ear of everyone. within a number of yards equal to 100 times the successes of Performance mil. Everyone who hears the sound loses the abil ity to fee.l anger, rage or hate. They are instead filled with a serene calm prevents-any kind of violence or attack for as long as the tone lingers (8 number of minutes equal re 10 times the user's pennanell Faith). Those affectediare also easier to mistead or deceive; Manipulation rollS maae against affecte.doo# ings have their difficliity rtduceC! by one. Mortals are automatically affected bY'the relic, and they cannot resist, Demons can re isuhe effect, u only with great difficulty anda hardenmgof theirsoul against beauty. Make a resi ted roll for each affected demon using his Willpower core (ciiff"ieulty 8). Ifthe roll is successful, the demon re isrs the power of the chime but also gains a point of temporary Torment.

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W?\.JliIOR.5E Lucifer was more than just a general, he was a hero -perhaps the first hero towslk the earth. Like any great hero; he often traveled the world astride a great steed that he carved out of his own radiance and the light of the sun. Named the Dawnrunner by some. lucifer's warhorse \MaS a creature of living light and flame --- a radiant, perfect beast that could fly through the air, travel to edge of Creation in a moment and trample foul beasts and arrogant angels its master foughr. When Lucifer vanished, his warhorse did as well, and mosedemons assumed ithad dissipated into energy millennia ago - until Devil Illuvanka found an ancient, primitive bit and bridle moldering in <II mad sorcerer's collection in Dubai. She rouched ir with her Faith, and Dawnrunner materialized before her, a giant stallion that shone with the radiance of the sun. At the exact same time, the White. Horse ofUffingron - a chalk figure of a horse 365 feet long, carved into the soil of a hillside in southern England - vanished, as if ir had never existed. (Thankfully it 'was night in England at the time.) Somehow the Llghtbringer had transformed his. destrier into aI chalk figure, waiting to be broughc back to life and to return to the hillside and stasis when commanded,

TI1r.Df\WRl1tlRffER, LuCIFER'.5

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A demon inpossession of th.e horse's ancient bi t and bridle can use rh ehorse as a means of near-instantaneous
transportation - a ri der can rra vel thousands of miles in mere moments on the warhorse's back. To an outside observer, the horse and rider vanish in a blur of golden Iighr that streaks momenrarilv across the sky; to the rider, the outside world smears into a golden blur before he suddenly appears in a new location. Whenever the Dawnrunner is used, the White Horse of Uffington vanishes, reappeartng when the relic is not in use.

Several Bdti:sh t(3btoids have already run stories about

the vanishing tourist attraction, System: Summoning the Dawnrunner is easy. The rider must merely hold the creature's bridle and will it to appear (nd roll needed) .Therider must then make a Faith roll [Q "activate" the horse. while whispering a d~mation into its ear. The beast then travels up to 1 ,OOPmtles.fpr each success on the Faith roll, covering· the distance. in a single turn. For particularly distant io(:aIions, the horse must make the jflumey in stages. Eschrum, aFaith roll must be made
to

set the horse off anew.

that the Devil Ladon held back an army of Heaven's mortal followers, armed with no more than his bare hands arid a length. of cloth, used to bind the wounds of injured humans. wrapped around his body. As each soldier in Heaven's army advanced on Laden, who stood passively in the wreckage of the southern gate of the citadel, they looked at [he bandages bound around his frame and knew JUSt what pain and anguish and mutilation their blows would bring upon his unresisting frame. Each soldier, faced with the undeniable truth of what damage his arrack would do. stayed his hand, because inflicting such pain on another was more than their souls could bear. Then the angel Ruberiel, armed with a sword of purest diamond, charged through the tanks of her warriors and reared to strike the killing blow to Laden ~ and. after standing ready to attack for more than an hour, finally stood her forces clown. Faced with. the irnpossible task of acknowledging the horror they could inflict, Heaven's forces withdrew. 'Whl.le the bandages Laden wore have long since totted away. many Devils have made Armors of Mercy tn [he modem age from nonnal garments. Such an enchantment requires knowledge of the lore of Humanity, the Lore of the Celestials and the Lore of Longing. Anyone attempting [0 attack anindividual wearing the Armor of Mercy is filled with the visceral understanding, just before he strikes, of rhe pain and injury he is about [0 cause. The realization is normally so appalling that the attacker cannot bring himself [Q stri ke - and if he does. he feels the pain he causes. System; Only normal doming can be:enchanted. Items that actually give a bonus to soak: cannot be used in this way, as the enchantment hinges on the wearer being unprotected. A Willpower TOU (dLffkulty 9) must be made for a mortal attacker each time he attempts to attack an indi vi dual wearing the Armor of Mercy; if the roll faiIs, the morral cannot bring himself to strike. A demon who chooses to strike a person wearing the armor gains a pain t of temporary T orment, in either case, an attacker who does strike a per-son wearing the Armor of Mercy loses one die from all of his dice pools for the rest of the scene due to the sympathetic pain he feels for his victim. TI1E, f'msr 'TONGUE
Before the fall of Babel, humanity spoke the One Language ~ [he first tongue, a language of perfect communication. \'X!hen the demons finally lost the war, God wiped the knowledge of the One Language from mortal minds, dooming them to discord and removing their abiliry to truly see and understand the

l\Rr1OI\ t'\Efl.CIJ It was durmg the siege of Genhinnom

or

Unknown tom,esr users, though, the Dawnrunner has been corrupted, The beast's mind, crafted by Lucifer from me spiI"-it oCme sun, has grown chaotic and wild over the 1Il.it1ennia, and if infects its riders with that madness.Every time a demon makes a Faith roll to use the Dawnrunner, she also gains a point of temporary Torment.

lliiU-rEIl u\ 1\

wonders of Creation. In' ead, mortals had to struggle CO communicare through dozens of corrupted, ineffe tual languagesrharcarried de fthefirs~ tongue power, while the demon carried their wn recollections of he One Language to rh Pit. When [he fallen first returned from the Abyss, the Devil Telchinen attempted to teach the One language to his morral followers but toul1d (hat it was simply too powerful to be borne by human souls in these faithless times. Understanding came quickly to his pupils, who absorbed the One Language like water ~ but, like water, it fl oded through them and forced all else out, S on his follower lost the ability to speak, read or comprehend any adler language, even those they were born with. They could only understand the First Tongue, now and forever, and they found themselves in a world of incomprehensible babble. The experiment might have stopped there, with Telchinen caring for his almost autistic followers until their deaths - until he realized what osher effects the One Language had 0(1 mortals. First, those who spoke the First Tongue were gifted with the insight mankind had lost in the Fall, They were unaffected by illusions, deception or the hysteria caused by seeing the infernal forms of demons. Secondly, other mortals responded to the First Tongue. While they could not understand the words of the

One Language, the mea11!in~of those words resonated deep in their souls, to the primal roots of language that their brains used to interpret the world. If a speaker using the One language gave a command [0 a mortal, the human could not consciously understand it, but her subconscious would comprehend, and she would be compelled to obey, A mortal using the Fi rsr Tongue could command other mortals, who would obey without under tanding why, until their brains finally internalized the One Language. Like a viru , the Firsr Tongue can spread to listeners, who in rum I e their ability to speak anything else. Currently, only a scant handful fhumans speak the One Language; and their Devll.bandlers keep them sequestered from other mortals, For [he peakers, life has become confu lng an frustrating; the world is now a morass on uaintelligtblegtbbertsh and incomprehensible symbols; The Devlls keep them away from other mortals so as net to spread the language "virus" arrrfunher, using their power [0 force obedience only when [he risk of spreading the First Tongue is minimal. System: TIle First Tongue i a language any de moil can possess with the Linguistics skill (although most demons don't bother to use it, gaining far more benefit from speaking Enochian , but it has no effect On them. Mortals can learn it quickly and easily

27

(it' costs two experience points for any mortal ro learn it), or they can be "conraminated," picking the language up intuitivel y by hearing icspoken, In an y scene when a morral character hears a few words of One

Earth.

The creator ignites a fire -either

or mundane

through
that

evocation

means ~ then channels

me

flame into the stone. The larger and more powerful

the fire is, rhe higher

lt has no effect when recorded - make: a Perception + Ling;uistics roll (difficulty 8). A success provides an experience point that can em!)' be spent on learning the language. Once the character gains two points in this [ash.ionl she automatically learns [be language, whether she wants to or nor. Once. a morral learns the First Tongue, she loses the ability to understand any other l.anguage. Her neural pathways actually change shape, defomwd by (he mvstlc pressure of the OL1e Language. Spoken languages are incomprehensible babble, and written words are meaningless sq u iggles (the First Tongue has no surviving written form).

Language in person -

small bonfire could be captured in a piece of polished dear quarn, wh ile a raging inferno the slze of a
skyscraper would require a diamond of at least 20 carats, When the enchantrne nt is completed, the (ire is drawn into the stone, which turns a deep red and becomes very slightly warm to [he much.

me gem's

quallrv must be, A

Mortals who speak theeFirst Tongue gain a nurnber of benefits. First, they are: immune to the ·effects of
Revelation, they have same resistance to i[]usions as demons J and aUattempts to control the it minds or emotions incur + 1 diffkli.1Jty penalties. Secondly, the mortal m.ay command other mortals by giving orders

A pyresrone can be activated from any distance by the creator, who invests it with <I small portion of his True Name. By invoking this fragment of his Name, he brings [he flame back to life. .AC[ i vating the stone requires a successful Faith roll (difficulty 7). When activated, the pvresrone explodes. Treat dill as lb.t: high-Tormeru version u( the Ignite evocation
{see p3ge l77 of the Demon core rules (or details), With the intensitv and radius of elfecr depending on

me

[he intensity of the. original flame.

While pyrestones can be used in.combat as a sort of grenade , [his is a fairly clumsy application. They're
tar more useful as bombs and traps, Cunning Devils hide [hem In the redoubts of their enemies or craft them into jewelry and give them to their foes as "gtfrs," 'The pyrestone [0$ hard to detect with supernatural awareness (difficu I('19) or with the naked eye. If examined closely [Perception + Alertness (diffi-

in the One Language. The listeners wiH not consCiousRy understand the command, bur they find

speaker issues spend a pointofWiHpowerand make the appropriate AbHlty ron (Charisma + Leadership, Manipulation + lL1tirnidatioo etc.). The targerresisrs with a Willpower roll (difficulty 7). If rhe listener gains fewer successes than, the speaker, she must obey the command, Orders given in the One Language must be simp~e <md limited in scope, because the acornmand,
j

themselves obeying anyway. When

we

culty 8)], the color inside the stone can be seen moving and swirling like slowly dancing flames. The risk io using me stone this way is that it contains a fragment of the maker's True Name. if another dethe stone's spirit carefully [Perception + Occult (diffkul.ty 9)J, she can learn that fragment mon examines

subconscious 'can

don't rely on proper nouns or modem concepts. You can say, "Attack. thqse men," in the Fi'[st Tongue, but
youcan'l say, "Steal this carand drive to Pasadena." Demons cannot give commands in the One Language and make mortals obey. That power belongs only to hwnan speakers. and a listener who ,acwally knows
rhe One Language.Is immune. or pyrestone, is a moderately

an1¥ parse broad statemen

that

and potentially use it against the creator, (See page 255 ofrhe Demon core rules for details.)

RITUJ\l.S
As .. utlined In Chapter Six of the Demon Plavers r Guide, rituals are complex evocations that combine rnultiple bodies oElore (0 produce new and powerful effects. Devils hold themselves ro be the inventors of rjtuals, claiming that Lucifer rum:;clf developed the. technique during the first siege of Genhnmom, although some ather demons dispute that clalrn. No matter what House lrwented ritua I evocations, though, Devils have shown themselves [Q be masters ofthe art. Their gifr for coordinating and modifying me evocarions uf other demons makes them eminently suited to develop, lead and control rituals. The following rituals are unique to [he House of the Morning Star and are lIsually not known by members of adler Houses. Devils guard their secret

f'Roz;eN J"l-1\P.ll'..3
A .Frozen flame;

the flame trapped within the storre. Pvresrones ate created by trappmg a raging fire inside a crystal or
gemstone, \'fi:eedng" [he flame in srasis unti I. the Devil activates tlae reHc - ac which point the gem erupts lnro a fireball.

common bauble used by Devils thill[ looks like a ruby orpieceofred,crysttd. In facr, rhe relic. iirn~de from a diamond or dear crystal; the red calm comes from

System: Creating a pyresmne requires knowledge of both the Lore of Flame and the Lore of me

28

rituals jealously, so as (0 keep an edge nver the other Houses-e--and, perhaps, so that they can feel prondlv superior about melt secret knowledge.

Torments

The high-Torment

version of

this ritual

creates

dark, brooding light the color of rust, like the

D7\WJ'1',s LIGJiT
While 'the manipulation ofligb[ is the province

glow of a dying star. Mortals touched by this corrupcglow are plagued by despair, madness and nightmares, and

of the Neberu, the Heralds were light itself in the first

da ys of Creation, as well as be ing the stars that shone in the sky. Most importanrlv, me Heralds governed the sun, the first and most perfect of stars, and brought the divine spark of the Creator to humanity when morning first broke across Creation and stirred Adam and Eve from sleep. With this ritual, the N amaru can

they lose a point of temporary Willpower. Mortal thralls may try to resist this ·effect with a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 8).l\ny demons in me area ofeffecr can draw strength from the bloodvlight; butonly ihhey give in (0 their inner darkness. Make a Torment roll, wirh a
difficulty equal to [be demon's permanent Faith. For each success, the characterregains a point of temporary Willpower and a point of temporary Torment,

re-create that first dawn in the middle of the night,

flooding an area with bright, warm sunlight - nor a hot glare, buta soft radiance thatstirs the souls ofboth mortals and demons alike.

Variations: None
GffO,STLlf I~El'\NO This ritual allows a Devil [0 summon a raging lnferuo not In the mortal world, but in the spirit realm. While the flames do not exist' in this world, theeffects of the blaze are still felt here - objects and people in the area of effect are burned by cold, iin.visible flames. in (he spirit realm, the fire bums ghosts and demons, moving through. the world of the dead.

Primary Lore: Lore of the Celestials • .'. Secondary Lore: Lore of Humanity •• , Lore ofLight •
Base Cost: 18 Restrictionsr 111e ritual must be performed at nigl''l.t. Minimum Casting Time: 36 minutes System: Roll Charisma + Leadership. for a number of minutes equal to the successes rolled, the surrounding area is filled by bright (but not blinding)

Primary Loree Lore of Flames • •

Secondary Lore: Lore of the Realms Base Cost: 10 ••

sunlight, for a radius in miles equal ro the Ankida's permanent Fakh, The sunlight radiates from the ritual's sigii, but the sigil does not becoming overly bright. The light casts shadows away from the sigil, bu[ permeates the whole area :'lothat almost all

Restrictions: The ritual requires mat a burnt offering of flesh be placed in the center of the slgil. Minimum Casting Tirnee 25 minutes System: Roll Manipulation + Survival. The flames fill art area in the spirit world with a radius equal to the successes in yards, outtc a range equal to 10 times the Ankida's permanent F'aithin yards. The fire's intensity is equal to the number of successes rolled, and it bums for a number of minutes equal to Ankida's Faith.

locations within the radius of effect are Illuminated as if it were the first few minutes of dawn. Bam mortals and demons within the ritual'sradius of effect may be revitalized and inspired by the dawn's light, which is both physically and spiritually illuminating. All mortals within the area regain a poinr of temporary Willpower, if they had less than their normal maxtmum number of points. They also heal a level of bashing damage if they were injured, Make a faith roll for every demon within the area ofeffect against a difficulty equal to their permanent Torment ratings. For every success, they regain a point ofWTUpower (up to their maximum rating). nf the roll fails the dem.on is too wracked with anguish and hare to gain dererminadon from the kiss of morning. If the roll botches, the demon gains a permanent POinT of Torment. The Light created by this ritual is true sunlight, with all the spiritual and physical properties of the sun. Any creatures affected by sunlight in some way, such as vampires or other supernatural creatures, will be fully affected by the dawn light created by the rttual, far as long as the sigil shines or until they find shelter. When the ritual's effects end, the si,gil ceases [0 shine and the light fades away,

me

The flames are invisible to the normal eye, but the Ankida can vaguely perceive a pate::h.Qf shimmering haze where the blaae lies, and he can attempt to control it while the ritual persists. Make a Eauh rol! for the Ankida each turn to control the flames. Each success increases or decreases the blaze's .rnd.ius by a yar~ or

moves the blaze a yard in :anYcOosel1 direction. Within the area of the hlaze, m(!)[tils and demons rake one heal rb level of lethal damage each round for each level "'Of the 'fik~sintensi . This J~e can be soaked, bllt ince it is--a spiritual flame Instead of a: physical one, eachCharacrerroll1s Wits instead ofSmtnina to soak. Physical armor does not add to the soak roll. Characters who are immune to normaL fife are also
immune [0 spiritual flame-. 1f llllensiry of die fire is enough to ignite objects (see page 177 of the Demon core rules formate details), the hems loseone structural level each rum until destroyed or until the fire dies. our.

me

29

in die spirit:world. ghosts (see page 54 of theDemon Storytellers Companion for derails) and demons in pirit
fonn

that are trapped in the flames take damage. but they

may soak with their Stamina and armor as normal. Torment: Thehigh-T ormenrversion of [his ritual
sets the very substance of the spirit realm aflame, feeding on dead souls and the malevolent energies of the realm. The flames of chis rima! cannot be controlled by the Ankida, but they are more powerful and cover a greater area. Add half the number of succe se rolled (round down) to both the radius and the intensity of ehe blaze. While the flames remain invisible, ghastly moans and screams emanate from the affected region. Make a Willpower roU (difficulty 7) for each mortal within the area of effect.Lf the roll fails, the morral hoses a point ofWiJlpower. if the roll botches, mortal also gains a temporary derangement (sec page 260 of the Demon core rules for details).

System; Roll Manipulation + Subterfuge; the target resists with a Willpower roil (difficulty 8). If the Ankida gains more successes, the mortal's mind and soul can be remade as she sees fit. The Ankida can alter the human's personality any way she likes, replacing his Nature and Demeanor with any Archetypes she wishes. She can also alter the mortal's memories ~ one significam memory or chain of memories for each success gained on the ritualchange h is opinions, make him loyal to the Ankida (or to someone else) and so on. The ritual cannot increase the mortal's Faith potential. That requires a personaljournev for the mortal that cannot be tampered with by demonic powers .. If the Ankida wishes to make the mortal into an undercover agent, she can implant post-hypnotic suggestions into his ubconscious. EvelY success gained on the evocation roll provides a uggestion that call be implanted, with a predetermined trigger and u tcorne ofthe Ankida' choosing. When the trigger condition is activated, the mortal will foll w his rders, then return to normal with no memory of what he has done. Some suggestions might be reusable on an ongoing basis, such as, "Report on wha Manishtusu has done in the last week." Others, such as, "Kill Matthew WalLace," will expire once completed and pass from the mortal's programming. TIle Storyteller is the final arbirer as to whether or [lot an implanted suggestion is reusable over a period of time. The effects of this ritual are permanent unless they are undone by another demon, The Revelation evocation of the Lore of Radiance can negate the programming, though the difficulty of the evocation roll increases by two. Before this can be done, though, the demon must realize that the mortal has been affected by Reshape the Soul; which can only be determined through observation and deduction. Torment: The high-Torment version of this ritual reprograms a mortal as normal, but at the cost of his sanity. The psyche :and very soul of the human are damaged, and he is doomed to madness. 1£ the ritual succeeds, the mortal gains a permanent derange men . For every 'ucces gained on the ritual after the first, he ala lose' a palm of permanent Willpower (down to a minimum of one point). Fur'melmore, he will lose apoint oftemporary Willpower each time a post-hypnotic suggestion is activated. Variations: None

me

Variationss Some ver i 1 • fthi rirual allowthe creation f flames far from the sigil and performer. th ghostly blaze erupting around a chosen victim anywhere in the world, To perform this variation, add Lore of the Firmament •• to 'the secondary lore. the sigil must conrain a personal item belonging ro the target or a piece of her body, and the Ankida cannot control the movements of [he flames.

fu

'111\PETtIE ·OUL

This powerful, terrible rit ual is a product of the dark days of the Time of Atrocities, when both angel and demons made u e of mortal worshippers or followers to strike at their enemies. With this ritual, demons would "reprogram' a morral's personality, shaping her inro a perfect spy - Or weapon. Most uses of thisritual focus on reprogramming a captured spy or mortal follower of [he demon's enemies. The ritual permanently reshapes the captive's personality and loyalty to suit the demon, who can then question her freely or send her out to work for his purposes, The ritual is occasionally used in the opposite way, making a loyal worshipper into a wholehearted upporter of his enemy's works - but one with a nurnber ofsecretcommandsburied in her subconscious rhat can be activated as the Anbda sees fit. Primary Lore: Lore of Radlanee •.••••

Secondary Lore: Lore of HumanitY Lore of Longing ._.

Base Co:st: 36

I ••••

Restrictions; The mortal being affected by the ritual must rema1n1n the center of the igil throughout. If she is an unwilling participant, she must be re trained or incapacitated so that she cannot leave. Minimum Casting Time: 144 minutes Heroes and destroyer, fearless leaders and heartless manipulators, Devil are complex being with a

30

CII\ PTEII (),\ f;

cite bright lights of Crearion.rhe standard-bearers of the rebellion, and as they degenerate into Torment" [he vicious dictators and rampaging killers of the
damned. creating member effective This section offers [ips, ideas and advice on a character who's not only an appropriate of her House, but is also an interesting and character to play.

w ide variety of abili ties and powers. The N amaru are

CONCEPT
The followi ng concepts are the most common for Devil characters, hut you can also come up with a unique concept for a Devil that isn't covered here. Hero: The Devils were the paladins of the rebellion" noble souls who took it upon themselves to protect humanity from God's unfair punishments. In the modem world" such characters m ight battle Earthbound monsters to save humanity or take on weak -rninded demons who would place mortals above their rightful demonic masters. Heroic Devils are conflden t and prepared to go into battle - usually physical combat, but also social confrontation - to reach their goals, Such Namaru tend to possess, mortals who displayed similar bravery, ones who would stand and fighr for a cause rather [han run away. Obvious candidates are soldiers, police officers and other combat-oriented persons, bur.courage comes in many forms. Firefighters, teachers of underprivileged you th, campaigners for fringe polidcal causes and battered wives who finally leave abusive husbands could all qua]ify. Leader: As well as being heroes, the Devils were the generals of armies, leading their followers against the legionsofthe Creator. Many Devilsmainrainthismlndset, directing their forces from the front and providing an example for their charges to follow. Such demons gravitate toward mortals who areusedto leading rather dum following, ones who work alongside their subordinates to reach their goals. Suitable candidates might include SWAT team commanders, cap ta iru ofprotessional sports realm, social campaigners or leaders of street gangs. Manipulator: Devlls possess immense force of personaltrv and are perceptive enough to easily learn what those around them want to see ;md hear. Little

&TUPiE 2\ND Def'\.CANOR

Many Devils are used [0 being in a position of command, directing mortals and even other demons so as ro bring a plan to fruition. Such characters usua y have the Archi teet, AULOcra t, Director ,Judge, Pedagogue or Visionary Archetypes as their Nature - personality types that push them to evaluate the performance of others and direct them as Devil feels appropriate. Befitting their position as the heroes of Hell, some demons are driven In commit acts of nobility and bravery, risking everything Ira do what they feel is right. Such characters generally have Natures like Caregiver, Gallant, Gambler, Martyr, Rebel, Survivor or even Fanatic at the extreme end the sea le personalities that encourage them. to do whatever is necessary to reach their goals.

me

or

wonder, then, that many Devils

grow

skin~d at rna-

Arrogant Devil.s still consider themselves the best and brightest stars in Creation - imperious princes of the universe who must be obeyed. Since other demons are sometimes foolish. enough to reject this evident truth, such Devils attempt to rule in secret, manipulating others into doing their bidding. Natures such as Bravo, Competitor, Conniver, Perfecdnnist or Rogue reflect the personalities of these characters Devils rarel y possess the Addict, Bon Vivant, ster Archetypes. Such personalities focu.s too much on inseam gratification, worldly distractions or an inabilirv to take charge of your own destiny ~ attitudes that rarely appeal to the sullied heroes of the fallen or the arrogance and pnde that drives them, Most Devils have a Demeanor uwtt's notably different from their 'true Natures, the better to confuse their enemies and keep their secrets. Devils with strong, confident Natures might act shy, awkward or

nipu lating others,. whether morral or demon. In the marta Lworld, such demons play the puppeteer, controll Ling others through SU hterfuge, . charm and evocations. Manipulator Dev ils migh [pursue noble or self-serving goals, but they do so by using pawns and allies in preference to endangering themselves. These Devils might 'Possess mortals who practiced similar methods" using others through overt or subtle means, Such mortals might include Mafia bosses, corrupt police officers, spies, politicians and cult leaders.

Cb lid, Conforarisr.Mascchlst,

Thrill-Seeker or Tuck-

~.I

una suming to keep opponen off their guard. Those Devils beset: by dou brs about their place (or lack thereof) in the modem world rnalntain.strong, organized, invul-

nerable exteriors so that no one will know their true weakness. Nor all Devils keep a mask overtheir true face. Some maintain Demeanors similar or even identical to their true Natures. u:ch Namaru are usually supremely
confident, bold paragon and heroes who refuse to how fear O[ weakness, even as a disguise.

PRIJV\J\Rll La
You usually choose the primary lore (and rhe visage) of your character toward the end of the character-generation process, after choosing Attributes and

Abihties. It's worth thinking about the character's primary lore before you assign other traits, however .. Primary lore and visage have a significant effect upon the character's abilities and style, and some character
concepts will suit particular lore more than others. Lore of the Celestialse This lore primarily affect the evocations and abilitie of o her demons, ramer than mortals. The Bel visage provides both social and physical benefits, plus improved sensory benefit. This makes the Lore of the Celestials well suited to heroic Devils who take on Earthbound and high-Torment demons in. banle, there's also some potentia! for manipulator Devils who want an edge over their rival in

infernal politics. Leaders won't get as much benefit out of taking this as -heir primary lore, unles they are
commanding demons. as well as mortal foJlower . Lore of Flame: This is a destructive lore, 'one that appliespriruarilyto combat. S imilady, the N usku visage providesonlv combat-related advantages. The LOFe of Flame iii 3gJ'eat choice for heroic, combat-oriented Devils. Itdoesn't offerrnuch benefit a a primary lore to leaders. manipulators or characters who prefer to avoid combat. Lore of Radiances This lore primarily affects mortals, inspiring loyalty and valor in me soul of human followers. while the Qingu visage improves Social Attributes. This is a good primary lore for leaders. which off'eiES grearbenefirs for Devils who focus on manipulating, or controlling mortals rather than other demons. While the visage offers a few combat-

related benefits, the lore provides

Devils that fight without mortal

backup.

ltmle for heroic

7\.lTftll)UTE.5
Ptru'IQ\L
For heroic Devil, Phy i al Attri ute are very important. WhiLeg ad Social Attributes will probably be a little more useful in the chronicle, Physical Attributes

should be

YOUI[

second priority.

Ll'nl'.l'l'I).-\I)I-\[,,(:I'.

Whi le the Narnnru were Anl.!l'ls t llighl, [ill:"Y are not masters J( the L 1ft' If Liuht: that ilhility IV:b the province of rhe House! If ::;plll'n:'s, till' Fiends. This is because rhc Iigh! [he Dev iIsconrn II is not tlh)' ~icallighr , bur !i/Jiritua/ light. Fiends command photons und ilium inatc thcphvsical w( IrlLl; Devi lscommnnd the spiritual
! !

leaders, though, need to balance action and thought, so they can commandtheir followers and pawns in the most effective way. Such characters should probably make Mental Attributes their second priority. Devils need to be able to think on their feet and react to changes quickly, and Wits is the most useful Mental Attribute fOT 'them. It also plays a useful part in combat. Intelligence is also useful, especially for developing tactical plans or interpreting useful informarion. Perception is the least important Mental

substance tlflighr - r.hciJL'illll·jltuminatillll -- .nul USc it to illuminate rhe souls of mankind. Therefore, Devils are masters

!If the Lore Ill"

Attribute for Devils,

Radiance, which illum tnaresand elevates rhe minds find souls nr humans, while Fiends must content
thelnsd\il"~ with s['c<lking unl)' to the eYL'" and sight of mortals. HI 1111bllJil'S 111" lore are extremely useful for :liding .11" Cl mrroll i ng mortals, ' ,["C( Hi rse, und many Deyil:,> are kn'llVlel.lgt·;lhlc in hpth. Stamina is perhaps the most useful of me Physical Attributes for Devils. who must stand alone and SUI' vive terrible opposition - especially for the Nu.sku, as it controls most of the evocations. of the Lore of Flame. Dexterity is almost as important, especially for warriors and heroes, as it controls skill with weapons. Strength is useful, but nor vital unless your character focuses on melee combat. Devils who fight with ranged weapons or evocations don't really need to be. strong. 50CIl\L

MILITIE5
Ti\Lf,NTS Most of the strengths and abilities ofthe Namaru are things that all characters can do, like persuade, inspire others and eo,gage in combat - Talents, in other words. Most Devils should have Talents as their primary Ability group, because these are the Abi Iities that will be most useful.

Social Attributes are extremely useful toa]! Devils and should probably be your first priority when assigning dots. Even thosecharacrers who focus on their own heroic deeds benefit from high Socia!
Attributes. What good are your actions tf you can't inspire others co stand up for themselves and emulate your example? Of the Social Attributes, Manipulation is the most IlIsefu1 for Dev ils - it allows them to control and inf uence the behavior of others. Manipulation. is vital for N amaru of the Qingu visage, and almost as important for the Bel, as it forms the basis for most evocations of these tore paths. Charisma is nearly as useful as Manipulation i.f you want to inspire instead of fool your followers or you waut to be respected and loved rather than feared. Appearance is the least important of the three Social Attributes for Devils .. Itt's more useful for mortals to be inspired by your words and deeds than for them to desire you for your beauty.

Heroic Devils wi II benefi t moot from good ratings in Athletics and Dodge for combat purposes, Empathy and Leadership for inspiring others to follow their lead and Alertness, Awareness and Intuition for detectlngand tracking down enemies. Leaders will want to max out the Leadership Talent, and good ratings in Empathy and Expression wii.Llalso help in working with others. Manipulators need Suhterfuge, of course, but they should have good ratings' Awareness and Alertness for protection, and they qmgain a lot from lntirnirlation and Streetwise. If you're playing a Be I, then g~Tatings in Alertness, Expression and Leadership will make your evocations stronger. while Devils of the Qingt.'l visage need as much Leadership as possible. The first three evocations of the Lore of Radiance are all based on Leadership.
SKll...LS Learned Skills are

Abilities for Devils. providing

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next

most useful set of hands-on, practical

f\em7.L
Devils aren't stupid, certainly, but they aren't overly intellectual either. The Namaru focus on being active, not on spending time thinking over all the possible options and making plans. Manipulators and

benefits for day-to-day tasks, SkiLns are best taken as (he secondary Ability gr. up. For heroic characters; skms provide not only combat Abilities such as Melee and Firearms, but also Security, Stealth and Surviv<!fLI-Sk.ills than let you endure hardship and inHltrate the redoubt of your enemies, Leaders get less benefit from Shllls, but good ratings in Erique fe will help with. diplomacy, while Firearms or Mcleecoge in hanaywhen. you Lead yOll!, troops to the from Ihles. Mani pu Iarors will find Etiquette and Performance useful (or be-

guilmg

potential

pawns,

while- Security
you if things

and

Technology

wi U protect

go wrong.

Devils of the Nusku visage should have as high a rating inSurvival as possible, as Survival factor' into aU the evocations of the Lore of Flame'.

I'I;NOWLEDGE:5
Knowledges are perhaps the least useful Ability group for most Dev i Is, who focus more on getting out and working on their goals [han n book learn ing and scholastic pursuits. That said, the Narnaru till benefit from formal Knowledge , part ic ularl y when dealing with mortal society. For heroic Devils, Investigation and Occult can provide useful clues for tracking down enemies. Leaders should know the basics of Finance and Law 1£ thev run a formal organ izati nn, and Medicine is invaluable for aid ing wounded followers. Manipulators wirb good ratings in Politics and Religion will have a better idea of where to spread their influence through mortal society. And all characters in the modem world can benefit from a few dots in Computer or Linguistics ..

Manipulator Devils often have [ow values in all three Virtues. It' not uncommon, however, for a manipulator to have strong Conscience or Conviction ratings. He manipulates others for good reasons, and for the sake of at greater good.

If you haven't already decided on your character's primary lore, now is the time (0 do so. Once you've decided, you need to assign dots to that lore, and possibly others, to gain evocations for the character. Some evocarlon are more useful than others for particular character. Since you only know three evocations to tan: with, it's worth as igning your lore dots where they will do the most good.

loRE

LoR.EOFTtlEC

LE.,STll\L.:S

{)1\CKGROUfID5
All of the Backgrounds available to character are useful, bur Devil characters will find some Backgrounds more useful and effective than others. Allies are vital for leaders, who need trusted compatriots to aid them in the field. Leaders also need Followers [Q carry out their plans, Contacts ~ provide them with information and Resources to outfit their fol1owers with equipment. Heroes gain much benefit from Paragon, making their evocations far more relia bLe in battle. Such elfsufficient characters generally don' have entourages offollowers, but they find Contacts and Allies useful for occasional assistance, and they draw on Resources to buy equipment, weapons and information. Manipulators need strong social connections and powers, represented by high ratings in Emin nee, Influence and perhaps Fame. These Devils tend to also be surrounded by Followers, and [hey find Resources incredibly useful for conaoUing' mortals.

Vrn.TaE..S
Heroic devils [end to have strong ratings in all three Virtues, but especially Courage, It's not unheard of for heroic N atnaru to have low Consc ience rating. Such characters perform heroic deeds out of a ense of dmy, rather than morality. Leaders also tend co have good rating in all three Virtues; If any ooe Virtue is strongest, it's normally Conviction. Leaders work from plans and discipline, and a strong sense of Convicdon aids in keeping them focused.

Heroic characters of [he Bel visage should certainly take two dots in this. their primary lore. Lamp of Faith is useful for detecting hidden enemies, while Send Vision allows for communication with allies and (with a point of Torment) attacking enemie a range. Increasing the lore to four dots with freebie points will allow the character to inflict aggravated damage with the Fire of Heaven, but leaves few points for improving the character's ocher traits. Leaders who focus on working with other demons should definitely rake this as their primary lore and sink all three initial dots into it. Doing so give you end Vision for coordinating the efforts of YOill forces, and Pillar of Faith to aid demonic allies (or block the evocations of enemy demons), Further improvement with freebie p ints probably isn't necessary at this stage, since Ere of Heaven and Hand of Faith will only occasionally be useful. Manipulators can find the Lore of [he Ce.lesrials useful, but only if they plan to control other demons. Again, three dots will be tbe most useful, but manipulator risk gaining Tonnem when they use Send Vision and Pillar of Faith against their enemies, making this a dangerous lore to take as your primary. As with leaders, taking more than three dots at this rime is probably a waste of freebie points, especially for a less, combat-oriented character.

Lont.or fLi\1'1E
This is a worthy lore for heroic characters, as it has u e in direct combat, but is als good for modifying the environment (i.c .• setting the place on fire) to weaken your opponents. Heroic N usku bou ld rake at least two dots in the lore to gain Ignite, ami it might be worth using all three dots to gain Command the Flame, which can be used to trap enemies. Wi th freebie points, you can gain Holocaust, which

3-1

is a risky bur powerful combat evocation. Taking Rid the Flames i probably best left for later in the chronicle, when the character' Willpower and Fa irh ratings are higher. Leaders and manipulators get little or no benefit from the Lore of Flames. Leaders can use it in battle, but at the risk of the fire turning upon their own troops, and manipulacors will have almost no 1I e for the lore. These characters are best served putting their dots into Other lore.

While Translate is useful, the real action come from the Insinuate evocation, which will greatly enhance the effe t of Manipulation-based rolls on mortals for an entire scene. Acharacter with two dots in the Lore of Radiance and wo in the Lore of Humanity can easily tum a room full of strangers into obedient, highly skilled servants for a short time. Leader gain le benefit from the common lore

paths than other Devils do. They don't need as much

cornba t power as heme or the a bili ry to forcibl y enlist mortals to their cause. Such charac .er are u ually better of{ focusing on their primary lore and gaining more powerful, high-dot evocations.

Loaner fu\DI?\.RCE
Heroic Devils can find it useful to have one d tin 'this lore, gaining the Voice of Heaven evocation. While not combat-related, it's a llseful evocation for communicating with the mortals the Devil may be trying to protect. The other evocati ns of this lore have little use to heroic warrior, and the character's lore dots should go elsewhere. Leaders who work with mortal followers will find this an invaluable lore. Such a character should have this as his primary lore, and invest all three lore dots in it. Voice of Heaven allows for effective communication on the battlefield or in the boardroom, Exalr inspires greater competence from one's followers, and Aura of Legend helps cement the loyalty of the troops. Mark of the Celestials and Revelation are best left untillater in the chronicle, when the character has amassed more influence and has a more extensi ve army of followers. Manipularors alsofind this a very useful lore, and characters focused on controlling mortals should have this as primary. Such characters are probably be t served with only two dots in the I re, however, while spending the other dots on the Lore of Humanity, which gives further options for controlling human pawns.

rREEBIEPOINT5
A higher Faith rating is useful for a Devil, but it's not essential. Increasing Faith will impr ve the range and effect of evocations and make it' easier to assume the character's visage.but most Namaru won't need to spend Faith on a regular basis - the exception being warriors, who may bum a lot of Faith [0 heal wounds quickly in combat. On the whole, it's worth spending freebies on Faith if you expect to spend a lot of time in combat, but even then a single point will usually be enough. Further points are probably better spent on other traits. Since demons can't e affected by mind-controlling powers, WiJllpower is mostly u eful for enhancing mundane actions with automatic successes. Heroic Devils will find a decent WiHpower score useful in combat to improve attack and damage rolls. Manipulator: who focus on influencing . ther dem ns will definitely benefir f['Om a high WilLpower_ Since they can't directly control other demons, such mundane Ab ilitie as Subterfisge and Politics are v ital, and they become much more u eful when backed up with automatic successes. Leaders don't need much in way of Wi llpower, ifrhey have the evocations neede [0 enhance their followers and allies,

t'V\O

Loan

Heroic Devils might find it worthwhile to take a dot in Lore of the Fundament. Doing so gives the character the Manjpulste Gravity evocation, which increases battlefield mobility (and allows for very cool-l eking stunts). Manipulate Adhesion can also be u eful when fighting in enclosed environments, bur wiU require spending freebie points to acquire and might not be as useful as mother evocation of your primary Ime.

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Hemic Devils with spare freebie points should look at pumping up combat AbUjtie , Phvsical Attributes and possibl y the Paragon Background.Leaders should consider pumping up Leadership, Charisma and Manipuladon, as well:as gaining more Followers,

Allies and Conrac

Manipulators who plan to work with human, n [be other hand" should definitely be pendlng freebie
points to gain two datos in the Lore of Humanity.

ters should think nard about-the beneffts-offive dots

. l'layen;

rnanipularor chatac-

in the Manipulation Attribute, as well as improving the Subterfuge Ability and the Eminence and Influence Backgrounds.

The god Asharu, the good, god of life, a second time ehey nameLl"t.he~exalted..~div.ilile,campanion" ; Who, as though his offspring, goo·e life to us, [he gods <who were perishing ; The lord who by his holy incantation m.ade the dead gods [/Ale.
~Enuma Elish, [he Babylonian
Creation

Epic

Envied by countless Hohim, the fate of the Scourges has always.been inextricahlvlinked with rhe mortal beings they awakened. Where other angelic Houses watched

from a distance, as austere guides or awkward reachers, the

Firmarnentrejoiced intheir role as guardians andsurrogateparents. The Scourges' ties to humanity have brought them joy and sorrow in equal measures and have shaped them into the fallen angels rhev are today. Angels of

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a sacred and vim} dury, one they have never forgorten even in me (ace of corruption and despair. They were the angels responsible for carrying theJ3reath of Life
[Q the worlds of Creation, a gift issuingfrom God and carried by His del igbted servants They carried the intangible mystery of lffe to every plant, every animal.

TheJrnge~Qftb.eRisil1g:Wind werecharged with

down

BBForm tim

and then

[0

humanity

FaLL

elements

of Creation

itself, unitLDi the mundane into a synergy that j::lorified

Where other Houses were responsible for creating the physical matter of [he world, charting its path through Fate or reclaiming it for the Maker when its course was spent, the Angels of the Firmamem gave it all meaning with the sparks of life [hey bestowed.

angel of the S&ond l:3.o..wte-.Such Intunare IDvDlvement with the :first moments
of every lifej tied

every living thing. In the first days ef Creation, I~V(~~:nlrlP live on Earth as qllid{e.necLwlth a

angels totheir charges with irrevoGable and unconditional love, and their faithfUl.adherence

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to their other

II (WS

1:'.'1

or Til E F,\ I.L£N

major task was no chore at all. At God's behest, the life-givers became protectors and guardians as well, shielding the beingsthey awakened froro the dangers of a young world. Their intimacy with the living things of Earth gave the Angels of the Firmarnenr warning when their charges were endangered, and they were tireless in their teadfast defense. Unseen and unsuspected, the Guardian Angels stor d watch over their bel ved children, knowing every one as a treasured blessing. When any misfortune befell a creature of Earth, itwas a Guardian who was there to mend the hurt. When any threatarose to the wellbeing of a living thing, u was a Guardian who ha rene to a vert even the smallest harm. Ti reless and devoted in their duties, the angels of the Second House watched every life On Earth intimately. Their role as life-givers, nurturers and guardians inevirablv cast the willing Angels of the Firmament as Loving patents of all life. and their gentle compassion brought tranquility to a IIwho knew them. Where the Larnrnasu excited and cimulated and provoked, the Angels of the Firmament bestowed serenity and calm. They simply radiated safety and peace. It was said thar rhe presence of an angel of the Second House was enough ro still fury and abate suffering.

As awakeners and guardians of

the Angel of the Firmament loved it and all its wonders without question. They did not manipulate it as did the Fundamentals or shepherd irs develop;

me life of Earth,

ment Ilke the ~gd

of the Wi_ld. Unlike the seer of

imply to love it. Every plant and animal on Earth lived because of the breath of an Angel of the Firma.ment, and it is no surprise that marlY of them grew even more. attached to their charge than the re ·,t of

the Fourth Ham e, chey did not feel the urge to understand it. For the Guardians, it was enough

the Elohim dtd,

TtIE (lm.,DBTI r GOD With that love and parental custodianship in their hearts, how much more wondrous did the Angels of the Flrmarnent find the humans? Here were ltvtng beings quickened by their breath, yet with a spa:rkofGod's own essence within them-awakened child[im with the capacity to love the angels in rerum. Those forrunare angels of the Second House who were.chosen 1:0 give Life to God's ultimate children were envied by all their "peers and exalted by heir task. For th.e.Angels of the Firmament, obeying G d' first command abouthumanitv-c-m love the humans as much as chef 1 ved Godwas no hard hip at all. None of the Elohim could have dreamed otherwise, and Angels of rhe Firmament were the most

devoted of all. Their secondary role as guardians allowed thern to indulge every protective and loving instinct humanity inspired, and they gloried in their responsibilities. Every step Adam took was watched by an attentive Guardian Angel; every piece of fruit Eve plucked was carefully inspected by a Guardian before her glance lit upon it. The Angels of Firmament devoted them 'elves to their charges human and otherwise - with almost no thought for hernselves. The wellbeing of the lives in their care was paramount. Unsurpri ingly, God's second command to me angels struck the Angels of the Firmament hard. To be forced to conceal themselves from humanity, co be hidden from the beings whom they most desired to know? For the first time, the G liard ian Angels knew sadness and dissatisfaction. Had they been wilting to criticize God, they might have said it felt like wanton cruelty. So near to humanity, responsible for carefully guarding every moment of their lives, the Ang 1 of the Rising Wind were still anonymous and unappreciated. Their tireless efforts to smooth humanity' path were numblvaccepred, their significance utterly unrealized, by the beings they most sought to inspire and excite. The Angels of dJC Firmament could have borne their own pain and learned to forget every care and question were it n tfor the pain of the humans. God' children labored every day to become what heir Father wanted them to be.uuconscicusly grasp ing for the enlightenment they needed - and dumbly failing every irne. The watching Guardians were heartbroken by humanity's' truggles, and they cursed their own impotence. Next to these tdbu lations, the physical wounds and discomfort spared Adam and Eve by the toils of the G uard ian Angels seemed tri vial aile! their successes meaningless,

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TR.OlII)LEINP2\I\1\D1

~E

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Hurnaniry'sproblernscaused conflict in rhe hearts of many of the Angels of the Rising Wind- They saw [heir children stretching to grasp something out of reach and failing time and again. Every failure brought despondency and frustration, both to humans and the angels watching over them, Eventually, some of the Second House could nor help burquietlv question God's commands. "W'e art" commanded to love humanity as we love Him," the argument ran. "We are also charged to express tha Love in watching over the humans, protecting and guarding them . saving them from every hurt ..And yet [he greare r pain they suffer is one we cannot avert, the pain of their constant failure to grow and learn and awaken ro the glories of the

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universe. We cannot ease this pain, as we have been ordered to do, without transgressing against God's other command to leave the humans in darkness and ignorance.In the face of two conflicting imperatives, how can we know which one to choose ?" Each Angel of the Firmament struggled in his own heart with the Task of reconciling their contradictory commands. On one hand, to flout God's will was inconceivable. He was the Alpha and the Omega, from which all began and to which all aspired. Willful def IDCe of H is Word was simp Iy not in their na tures. On the adler hand, the thought of leaving the humans to suffer and struggle was equally alien to the Elohim - to the Angels of the Second House most of all. Angels of Succor and comfort that they we re, such negligence seemed agross dereliction of their duty to the humanity they protected. N or even the seers of the Fourth House. 'can tell [he course the Guardian Angels would have chosen had events not transpiredas they did. But, fate being what it is, it was perhaps inevitable thar one day a worried Seer should have called his friends to him to talk about a dark cloud on the horizon. What began as a cautious expression of concern and dismay became a debate about the nature of inevitability, and then an argument about the wisdom or hubris of pre empting God's plan.
l

THB·House
aT

They could no longer stand mutely and watch humanirv's pain without acting. In re rrospect, it seems inevi table thae the 0 mudian Angels were destined to fall, Every angel was torn between God's two commands - to love humanity and to keep them ignorant-bur the Angels of the Rising Wind had the additional goad of their role as guardians to prompt them into dissent. Respected as Lailah was, she did not speak for all theGuardians. Her own choice of fealty to God could not slow scores of other angels of the Second House in their desire to aid their beloved charges directly. Many flocked eagerly to the banner of rebellion. N azriel, Throne of Unbounded Benevolence, led her fel lows into defiance of God, and the Huuse produced many of the greatest stalwarts of the rebel. Host ..Ir was Nazrlel who bore the responsibility for introducing the Angels of the Firmament to the awakening Allfarher and Allmother, She epitomized the gentleness and compassion of the Asharu, and she radiated comfort and safety that unconsciously warmed all around her.

WaR

fhlL

rnOf\ GRACE TIle gentle and lovely Lailah, the Defender, was

present at the beginning of the Great Debate; indeed, she was the only Angel of the Firmament that Ahrima 1 called. Despite the persuasion of the Morningstar himself, she eventually chose obedience [0 God over helping humanity grow. Like every Guardian Angel, though.hers was not an easy choice, and every angel of her House struggled with [he same conflicting obI iga ti ens, The Guardi ans who chose to rebel began their path with shame and misery at disobeying their Lord, while those: who remained with the Host despaired of the future that faced humanity. Even once the inevitability of the Fall became apparent, il: seemed humankind faced a thorny path regardless of the outcome. Whether humans remained ignorant and unconscious, or whether they saw the light but were cut off from Gad, either path would result in pain for the Allmother and Allfarher, Thus even in decisiveness the Guardian Angels were tom, incapable of shielding Adam and Eve from the darkness that surely awaited them. In such dire straits, many Angels of the Finnamenc chose the path that would allow them 'to stand by me side of man and woman, protecting and ntllfturing humanity proudly.

Like the rebels of every House, the Angels of the Flrmameut were stunned and battered. by Michael'::; proclamationson the first morning aftei: the Fan.
Newly named the Asharu, the Scourges, the onceAngels ofthe Firmament were stricken wi eh the news that the humanity for whom they rebelled would be cursed to a short and inglorious life. Despite the efforts of the GuariHan:s to protect rhern from harm both accidental· and malicious, every child the human nationiwQwd one day cease to live. The lamentarions of the Asharu knew 1&0 bounds. Here was the cursemey feared more thananvothet-ethat humanity would face harm and pain from which the Guardian Angels simply could nor protect rhem, It was the possibsliry of such a fate that had impelled the Angels of the Firmament to rebel in the first place, and it was now pronounced as face The realiration that this fate was due ro the angels'rrebelllon merely added to the bitterness of the wound. In vain the MhambeggedMichae1 to reverse the sentence uttered upon the humans they knew tq be innocent and good.Ibut the {orces of Heaven were unrelenting. Offered the cho,ice betweerr ignorant obedience to Heaven, andelllighooned defiance with their angelic friends, the tribes of mankind had chosell to remain with their e.yesopen. They had chosen

an
or

their lot, Michael said, and they would be pun ished as [he rebelli ous angels were. For their own part, the Scourges were horrified, but few wavered in their resolve. The wellbeing of humanity was at the forefront of (heir minds, and their own ares seemed far less important by comparison. So much else had been done for love of the humans, with no reward but the atisfaction of "erving, char the price of rebellion must surely be compensated or by the love and trust of the humans who would finally know their parents. Grimly, many of the grieving Asharu resolved to double: their vigilance ..If a human's sojourn on Earth was ro be limited by necessity, they reasoned, it was more important than ever to ensure that that life was as perfect and joyous - as untroubled - as pass ible. There was no rime to waste on mediocrity or waiting; every m ment had to be perfect. Their motives were noble, and in clinging to their function as Guardians they found justification for their continued existence. Faced with such a blow to their fundamental natures, many Asharu needed motivation ro continue in rebell ion, and even in exis renee. Thei rfierce re-dedication to their roles as guardians and nurturers gave them a reason to go 00. Other Scourges, however, found LI: hard to see the matter so. To an ageless and eternal creature, a few score of years is an infinitesimal ·pan. These fallen angel felt mat if a human' life span was to be so painfully limited, the quality of that life hardly mattered. Perhaps exceptions could be made for exemplary men and women, they conceded, but how could a being with but a century Co live distinguish itself in any notable wav? What difference did (r make if any human suffered or knew bliss, ifeithersrate were only to persist tor such a short time? Over time, these Scourges became harshly critical of hurnanlty and irs action. Each failing by a human, every error man made, became a piece of evidence that humanity was flawed and weak. Such proof reinforced the Scourges' bitter belief that they had been created poorly by Heaven and ill u ed by humanity, and they justified their dedication to their self-imposed task of making humanity "right." Many of these Scourges sought to eradicate the errors they saw in humanity'S behavior and [0 make man worthy of the sacriflce the Asharu had made. They formed me core of the Asharu who eventually joined the Ebon legion under the leadership of Devourer Abaddon. Such allegiances were not universal, of course, and those Asharu who had devoted themselves to renewed guardianship ofhumanilty found themselves drawn to many of the other legions. The Iron Legion

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of the Archduke Dagon was particularly attractive to the Asharu who chose a pathof nurture and guardianship, and they devoted them elves to the protection of humanity as deeply as. any of [heir comrades did, The shield wall of the Iron legion was supported by mi nistering Asharu, who brought ease to heartsick and resolve to the wavering.

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The Crimson Legion numbered many of the highest ranking Asharu, drawn by lucifer' impressive presence and hi in piriJ"Ig tatement of love for humanity. Nazriel, highest of the econd H USe to join Lucifer, followed his cause [0 the Crimson Legion and attracted more of her fellows in doing o. The Scourges who joined Lucifer's own legion were usually those motivated to push humans to the limits of theirpotenrial for [heir own good. Humans had the capability to become so much more than what" they were, the Scourges of the Crimson. Legion reasoned. It Wa5 the Second House's duty as de facto parents [0 help the human nation i11[O maturity and blossoming. The Silver Legion drew those Asharu who were, instead, fascinated by just what humanity's potentia! might be. If these sadly limited creatures could rise above their brief tenure on Earth and exploit the spark of Goa's OWTl life within them, the possibilities for their accomplishments would be staggering. The Scourges who followed Asmodeus sought to improve the quality of the beings to whom they brought life, and the quality of those beings lives. to the Asharu mortality. If humans had to die" they felt, the Asharu should be there to lease the ir hurts and mend their wounds. The y found solace in working with the Slayers, offe:ring succor and support to human and demon alike as the Slayers soberly carried out their grim duties. The Alabaster Legion appealed

found i hard to j us(ify such harm and suffering even in the name of good in enrions. ]n.stead, she shored up her doubts and uncertainty with a blinding and sincere faith in the Morningstar. His constant sense of "rightness" removed me possi biUty of disbelief; to know him was to feel the warming, comforting blaze of his confidence and assurance. And Nazriel certainly knew him ..She wa one of his closest advisors and confidantes, although she avoided the military activities ofhis inner circle of lieutenants. She tried her hardest to avoid burdening him with her own doubts, a-nd ind ed in his presence she was constantly reassured that heir path, was the right one. Without realizing it" she stopped believing in. their cause andstarted belleving in their leader. None was more passionately dedicated to Lucifer and his action than Nasriel, and rumor whispered tha her passion for him was more than ideological. the most senior of [he rebel Second House, was the titular head of [he Scourges. She b lieved, however, that dictating House-wide pallde and giving strict.orders to the Scourges' hierarchy was contrary to the spirit of enlightened choice thar led the Asharu into rebellion in the first place. She chose, instead, to lead by example and encouraged her fellow Scourges ro act as she acted. In. her heart - particularly in [he later years of the war - she found it hard to [ustifvorderingher underlings [Q act without reservation in 'the name of a cause she doubted herself. In spire of her reservations, however, she was widely lauded as a model of erenirv and compassion, end emulated by most Asharu of the Dagan visage who had not fallen inro spire resentment aud bitterness. Despite th~ir differ noes in philosophies and! perspectives, the A haru were united in.their fierc resolve to give theirutmost to the r helllon and thCj, war effort. For many of the House, theirrolewas clear by virtue of their predilections, lore.and other abiltties. 0 it was for the A ham, who quickly found niches", here they cou ld be of most USe. Their mastery over the air and the wind made them ideal scou t and pies, sw ife and careful wi th eyes that SaW [0 theeqges of the 'World. Those Scourges who bad Ji.lCJJ.SedOn their original role as bringers of'llfe r01:lnd themselves in great dernand.a healers, prorec rs and battlefield, medic . N azriel represen ed the greatest of rh e, and many Scourges gaee everything they had to the A

N azriel

mosr grieved by the fact of mankind's

OLEOf TtIE2\ ~1l\.RlJ When factional conflicts began to tear apart the previously unified rebels, Nazriel tried to forge a dear path for her divided House. She remained true to the leader of the rebellion and followed lucifer into the Crunson Legion. As he followed the Morningstar, manyfoUowed her, and by his side she represented the greatest virtues of the Asharu. Even in the midst of strife Nazriel was a model of peace and protection. Her compassionate touch soothed [he most feverish ills, and her mere presence blew away oppressive fear in the Crimson. legion's forces. In truth this wa somewhat ironic, as - although she did not admit as much even to herself-she had begun to Lose some faith in the rightness 0 their activities. The atrocities of war grieved her, and he

T'tlER

on their gifr of the Breath ofl.lfe, Manclala-gor and his kind were made for noth i~g 0 earthly. Before fall

causes of peace and protectien, Where other angel of the Second H use focu ed

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41

h was known as Mandalagor Empyrean' s Virtue, and hi was rhe joy of the open skies and a dear day when
one couldsee &om one edge of t1u' world ro lrhf' orher,

Mand'alagor was another angel of the Second House who brought ease to all around him. His was 110t the warm comfort of 11 nurturing parent, but ramer the
serenity of a peaceful. shining up with the plighr of th human a hi fellow Scourges wer ) he tillfelt keenly the inju tice frnanklnd's siruarion

Although

hewa

sky. om o in unatelv boun

and the apparent conflict in God' diem. Many Augels of Firmam nt who were less enamored of humanity chose 0 place their trust in Heaven' plans and reject Ahrimal's heresy, so Mandalagor was one of the mosr highly ranked angels of the Anabar visage [0 choose Lucifer' side. He did so clear-eyed and confident, unable to see any better course even with his rodlgiou vlsic n, Unable to way his master, he

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tepped forward to join the M rningstar

with head

unbc wed, and he found to hi, joy that many -f hi

p eer and the lesser Ang Is of the Firmameminspired hV his example-s- did the same. Throughout the war Mandalagor served a' one of dee most Doble and eminent members of [he econd House, Commended by Lucifer as the Overlord of Clear Horizons, he trained many of the
House's most succes ful and famous
SpiC5

and ob-

commirted the first arrocitv in slaying his brother Abel. Rlyazgor was battered and transfigured by the tide af chaos mat rolled around the world. As sanity returned, he found hlrnself on the flanks of Abaddori's army marching LIpan Sagun, and the powers of the winds were at his fingertips. The new awareness of hare roiled within hlm, and as he raised hi hand ro call wind terms agalnsr Sagun defender, the winds Were streaked with hili US toxins and urrenrs despair. L was Riyazgor who unwittingly . h wed [he econd House how devastating ir powers could be and how quickly heal th cr uld he tu rned [0 rna lady. 0 thers fa Hawed him, reveling in thelr newfound "abilities. until the battlefield Sagur; was awash wid, rides of venom an disease. After Sagun' fall. Riyazgor became one of the most notable Scourges and a stalwart of he Ebon L zion, He wa rapidly promoted up the ranks to verlord for his unwavering dedication, and bled parties f scorchers in.sorries to blight enemy territory and 'trike down their ofees. The talents and predilection .of Scourg made him a fearsome enemy to Michael's force, and ,they spared no effort to capture or destroy him. WHy anti experienced, he eluded all the attempts against him lIL11:U a fellow
()f

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servers in their ta ks. Eventually Mandalagor ucceeded to a po Iti n as a baron within me Alabaster LegIon, assi dog AU2.el faithfully in serving ou those human who needed the Alabaster Legion'

Iron Legion village's water th ugh barely, gentler A haru

courge-v- T amariel of the weet Breath, scion of the caught him in the act of pc i ning a upplv. He e caped with his life, al-

gentle, mournful attend n.

Chillingly, l1Il;lUY u( til,!!: ~dmme[ Scourges perfected awful shadows of these powers - songs of mxicity and poison instead of those of healing RDd nurturing. Such demons as thenarur1Qus Rlvasgor of the Black Cloud found satlsfaerion in demoralizing .the opposition with illnesse tharweakened the hearts
and wills of the human tribes ~tillloY<ll to Heaven.

an he nursed a grudge again t all [he from that day ~ rth, His was one of [be loudest voices calling or sanctions agal nsr me Scourge~ who preferred [('I focu on rheir love ofhumanlrv rather than their obligationsro their comrades, and there were rumors of him
taking direct action against the Scourges

he consid-

ered traitorous. No concrete evidence was ever found, but all bur the rna t extremist courges stepped carefully around him. One sad effect of the war was thari t destroyed the innocence and purl ty of the Angels of the Firmament. By irs nature, war is all about sacrifices and compro-

They blasted rh land of (he angelic h st with corruption, disease and other similar perversions of
their originalgifts of life. Their actions often drew the ire of the orher A$haru, who were frustrated at their fellow Scourges' misuse of their powers and sic kened by the results, These di.fferenc;·es g.-adl.lally ·provoked

mise, and a war leader accepts the necessity of harm co a certain portion ufher troops in exchange for a
greaH~rvictmy. This sort of tradeoff wasalien t.o ruost

disagreements, which became arguments, which grew into silent schism within the ow:e·uulted. H IJIs.e of the Rising Wina. Riyazg r of the: Black Cloud was, perhaps, the anti thesis of the stalwartS of the Choir of Dagan. He
began the war with the ame. dreams uf hop and redemption as herest.cfhis House, bur the suffering of the mortals troubled his spirit. When Caine

of the Asharu, whose nature insisted that all harm to the living things of Eartl. hould be mitigated and minimized. not embraced in pur UiI of some bigger 70aL. As a consequence, few courges ever wished to
serveas leaders, planners or strateglsts. Most pted for roles as advisors, spies and defenders, where they could employ their gif[ in a fashion they could morally accept.

Cnwn:lITI\O

On the other hand, [he more ru thless Asharu were perfectly willing to exchange the short and pointless lives of humans for some advantage in the rides of war. They unnerved many angels of the other Houses with their casual indifference to [he fate of the creatures for whose sake they originally fell. Still, lacking the remperarnenrfor leadership, they usually chose to leave the crowns to their Devil brethren and instead served as elite agents of detecaion and disruprion in the rebels' war forces.

'f·11E,j\.strJ\ RU7\T {]JAn

With [heir new roles before them, the Asharu set

themsejves to serving the war effort: with devotion and dedication ..Despire an ever-widening ideological gulf within the House, the myriad and powerful Scourges - whose numbers swelled Lucifer's host more than any other House but the First - usually approached [he ir tasks in the same fundamental ways. Rather than operating in large, organized groups, the Asharu - who were often as human-centric as [he l.arnmasu and the Halaku -.~ thrived in individual roles as shepherds, healers, guardians and spies. As a consequence, the cohesiveness of the: Second House was stretched taut. It was rare for the Asharu to operate as a group or [Q seek conclave with theirpeers. Each Scourge operated as her hear!': dictated and as her leader commanded, rather clean according to House policy. Narurally, that did! not meanthat the House of the Rising Windceasecl to exist 35 an enti ty and became rnerel y a loose collection of ind ividual agents. The Asharu were premier spies of Lucifer's forces, and their mastery of the winds gave them unmatched speed. Along wi th those angels who had mastered [he mystical paths of the wor ld, the Asharu served as messengers from bastion to stronghold to human village. They carried messages (0 places where [he: supernatural speech of the demons could not go. As a consequence. they wert'! constantly relaying messages to and fro with other Asharu, meeting one here ro pass on a message and another there to pick up a new missive. Although the Asharu met in large groups infrequently, many of them were in regular contact with at least a few other demons of their House. in a network of messenger-demons spread out across the lands of Lucifer's. forces. As they met, they talked and conferred, and the news and events of the House of [he Firmamenr would spread out across the world in a wave as Scourge messengers came and went. The: casual and chaotic nature of these communications were pe rfect for the Asharu, who needed no central aurhonrv to carry out their missions in life.

Although their conrribut ions were critical to the successes of Lucifer's armies, the Asharu avoided direct fightlngrhernselves. Their powers were best suited for use at a distance, whether in the gathering of intelligence or in the infliction of terrible plagues. Accustomed to aeons of surreptitious and unnoticed activity, even the most venal and violent of the Scourges preferred to exert their abilities from a safe distance. Even after the Asharu accepted the necessity [hat war involved compromise and sacrifice, not many of them relished the job of bringing such devastation themselves. Therefore, Asharu as a whole were not a violent House. Their powers focused around observation, movement and healing; the twisted shadows of these powers brought pain and misery, but direct combat applications were few. 'Whether gentle prorectors orcursed plague-carriers, the Asharu preferred to leave the brutality of personal combat to others of more appropriate Houses. Those Asharu who followed other demons in choosing the warrior's path usually employed their talents in defense ofhLlman~ lty. Only the most lost of the Scourges found satisfaction in aggression against other demons. Many of the Asharu were "kept ignorant of tactical activities involving the human tribes loyal to the Heavenly Host, In [he first periods of the war ir was not unheard-offer an. Asharu to fly to aid a human at risk, whether mat human was a rebet mortal.or one of Hea veri 's faichful- even ifdoing so tnvelvedpirnng themselves against fellow demons of other Houses. Humanity was the reason the Morningstar and his a Hies rebelled in the first place, and many Asharu felt it would make a' mockery of their proudly espoused beliefs to condene harm to humans j ust because they were on the other side, It took a long rime for most of the Asharu to forget these scruples or learn to set them aside, andas accnseqisence, their allie5 deemed [hem unreliable in such matters.

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l\furrrtIER fALLfnof\_ Gnl\ce

Sadly, as time went on, it became harder for the: Asharu 'to maintain their sereniry and positive outlook. The world was littered with the corpses of once-loved humans. gone and forgotten, and the humans who fought with and agalnssthe-rebel angels displayed savagery and brutality that taught the aninconceivable until one man slew his brother out of jealousy, and the world trembled with his.action. For the first time, the demons understood nate and ven-

gels themselves

how

to

hate. Arroeitv-was

geance and violence.

The Asharu were heartbroken at the horrors they learned to perpetrate, taught by their OW)!) children.

They clung t theirmis ions as protectors, guardians, healer - but many courges found it hard to maintain their dedication in the face of uch casual evil. The fact mat it wa committed bv the humans for whom they had rebelled seemed an ungrateful repaymenr fOT the sacrifices they had made, and many angel f the econd House began to resent the humans forevervthing they had cost the fallen angels. More and more of [he Scourges began to rurn their powers against [he humans they once staunchly protected. Where once they healed, they brought diseas and pain; they poisoned the land and set death creeping among me human tribes. At first thl eemed just punishment for humans who were not worthy of protection, those who had committed evil or lived worthless and wasted lives. All too oon, though, the distinction began to blur and the Scourges ceased to eli criminate among their po enrial targe 5. What was there to mourn ill the loss of such a short, unrernarkable life, anyway? Even the sweetest and gentle t of the angels began to fall prey to th same passions and ugly crimes hat tainted the world after the First Murder and the fall of Sagun. Generosity turned to greed, and devotion turned to obsession just as inevitably as the sea ons passed. The spreading malaise touched the Second House at every level. from the lowliest fallen angels to the highest ranked Asharu. Even Psidiel, Lord of R. wal - second in eminence only [0 Naznel amon~ the Scourges - fell to its corruption. He was Nazrll31' underling before the Fall. an Angel 0f Visage of Awakening and a devoted healer. When Ahrirnal instigated the Great Debate and the an,el l~ad to decide where their ~oyaltielllay, Psidiel r;r.usred In the Wisdom of his superior and chose as she did. He faithfully followed her into rebellion and became ne of her most trusted allies. In ofat as the Second House ever had lieutenants Dr a forrnalhieearchv of power i\1. practice, Psidiel was Nazriel's firsr lieutenant and assistant. and he commanded conslderahle respect from his fellowSoourges .. Few were as d voted t the Asharu cause, an P idiel frequently led danger us rnis ions to bring succor to needy mortals trapped in disputed territory. In time, however, seeds ofbitterness planted deep in the heart ofthe rebellion's cause bloomed within Psidlel as mey did in 50 many other demons. The pain humanity endured during the r bellion, and the 10' of beloved comrades, triggered doubts and uncer .. aintv. Psidle] saw the original decision to rebel as futile and frustrating, when.all the angels could do was watch their eloved humans' uccumb to me rtality after short and grim lives.

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the

Psidiel's decision to rebel was based in a deeprooted faith in Naztiel, perhaps more so th n in an informed choice about the issue of the Fall itself. As he began to regret his decision, he began to blame his superior for misleading him and drawing into a pointless rebellion that served onlv to damn everyone concerned. Ulrimatelv, his passion for Nazriel which was rumored to be more than the devotion of a loyal subordinate to his superior - twisted into bitterness and resentment, fueled by the whispers of her liaison with [he Morningstar and by what he perceived as the futility of his FaLL A resolve turned to resignation and joy to bitterness, Psidiel's outlook on humanity changed. No longer willing to risk his life for flawed and in ignificant mortals, he became a strict and compa sionless judge of human excellence. Only the highes standard of perfecrioncould rn ve him [0 admiration; to anyone who could nor meet those standards, he wa a harsh taskmaster whose attention was feared and avoided. His darkening temperament made him unwelcome in [he Crimson Legion where he had originally followed Nazriel, and he decided upon Abaddon' Eben Legion as more suited to his goals. Everuually the corruption of the war turned his dispassion into enmity, and he actively sought ut [hose human he judged unworthy f existence - alma t II of them - to dispense the death his power b stowed. Sadly, many followed his lead. The Scou-rges learned to see humans as pa wns, playing pieces to be hoarded an pro eeted merely for their value as a measure ofsucces or failure in the war. The human tribes loyal (0 Heaven were targets to prove the superiority of the rebel angels. Marry of the Scourges cast aside their former devotion to the humans who led them to Fall, and fought the war as savagely as any Rabi u. Opposing e Scourges were fellow Asharu, primarily those who bad followed Dagon into the Iron Legion. They mended the wounds their fellows Intllcred along with those caused by Heaven' forces. They replaced disease wirh health and deended their human charges ferociously. as [hey had always done. Even in the face of atrocity and despair, these former angels never forgot how to loveuntil they were bani hed to the Aby and lost to the forces of nothingness. The Choir of Dagan exemplified such unselfish devotion, working tireless Iy for a thankless humanirv. This group, one of [he most closely knit within the Second House. chose to honor it responsibilitie as Guardians and Asharu above it duties r ) legion and

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·It

ell \1 "I·P..!I'1'\\ 11

commander. TI1e Choir was led by Gadriel, once the Virtueof Sunllght's Kiss and dubbed a lord in Lucifer's new order. Panacea

After the FaU, Gadnel became the Lord of Unbounded, and collected a group ofliketo

OuTer TfmGklNSs
TI1e modem world represents joy and [error for the newly released Scourges. On one handv their freedom is unexpected ecstasy after millennia of imprisonment, and the simple act of living again is pleasure undreamed of. The Asharu are needed in the World of Darkness; modern technology has nOI: SLlP~

serve humanity with him. By default the group joined the hun legion under mighty Dagon, bur tt had small involvement with the affairs of the rest of the legion. Instead these Asharu preferred to concern themselves with the health of mankind, and they were tireless in. their efforts. Where malicious Scourges had spread plague. they would cleanse the nations of man; where war had blasted the land. thevwould breathe Life back into it. Unsurprisinglv, they often dashed with the more destructive Scourges and Devourers even on their own side. and they did their best to mitigate the intluenceof such spiteful demons. The Choi r of Dagan carried its missions of mercy deep into lands conrrolled by Michael and the forces of Heaven, although it rarely acted to directly undo the works of its allies. After the first confrontations with angels still loyal to Heaven, it was largely able to continue its work unmolested -although the group was eyed very suspiciously, few angels could take issue with actions so purely good. Indeed. the work of the Cho ir of Dagan raised doubts in the heartsof a number of loyalist angels, who saw caring and compassionate ministers in the form of their former brethren ~ an image at odds with the portrayal of the rebel angelsas pddeful fanatics motivated by hubris and greed. After the Fa.l1and the subsequent punishment of Lucifer and his allies, however, those angels with doubts were not eager to speak them loudly. Instead, they made themselves content with not harrying chose forces of the opposition who were bringlng riurrure and peace with them. Sadly, th is policy of non- interference cou ld not: last forever, and as the war descended tntn a morass of spite and atrocity, [he members of the Choir of Dagan found themselves far less able togo where they would. Gadriel refused [Q cut back his efforts [Q heal aU of humamrv, however, and eventually he was taken prisoner on one of his missions by the angel Scuriel, Virtue of the Fifth House. No word returned [0 the survivors of the Cholr of his fate or the fates of the three angels lost with him. Grimly [hey continued their tasks as before,. under the leadership of Nexalgor of Dancing light, butthe closure of the enemy borders [0 them saddened them beyond measure, and they grieved for the lost humans ever after,

minded Asharu

planted their supernatural

skill with healing or

rendered them superfluous as guardians and protectors, and in the new world order there is so much more to frighten and pain humans and so few allies to protect them.
On the other hand, seeing the depths ofrnundanirv to which glorious hup;umity has sunk is profoundly depressing for former angels whQ gave up everything to exalr and nurture these frail rnorrals, Everywhere Scourges look, there is wasted potential and needless, sadistic pain. How can they feel anything other than that the world is broken beyond repair, and that the only meaning [hey can bring is in winnowing the few grains of wheal from the overwhelming human chaff? The Abyss profoundly changed every fallen ange I cast into it and made them worthy or their sobriquets of "demon." The Asharu were changed just as much M [he demons of any nrher How;c.The:yer.igj:p.aiIyfe II for love of humanity and ilie destre to [Jlanifes[ [hat love in every way. Thousands of years in void and darkness, lert to fe;$cterin .bitterness and doubt, finished the job of breaking the Scourges that the atroc ities of the war had begun. No longer con tent to live solely (Q embody their noble and pure love for humans, the Seeurges began to asktherasel ves - and each other - whether. humaniry wastruly wonhv of sacrifices they had made. Over time, the abrasive hatred of the Abyssthe rejection by God that it symlbo~iled - wore myay all hope on the part of [he srdl-genrle Asharu mar

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their COlJtSewas a wise one. Few found

the srrength-te

argue with their more embittered Housemates, and eventually most of the Scourges adopted an attitude that made their House's epithet all too accurate. They could think of nothing more than sharing theirpain and misery with the humans -who had innocr::nt~v

lured rhern into damnallon.

When the walls of the Abyss cracked ppen and freed the lowliest of the denmns,. everymil'l,g changed again. The simple act of possessing these wretched, damna ble mortals rem inded the Scourges of j usr why

they had once loved humaniry so rnueh. The warmth

of being needed was enough out of the deepe t reaches

shock many Scourge of their bitterness and hatred. It raised the possibillrv that perhaps the rewards had been worth ..the costs that Asharu had
t

had to pay. A few fragmenrarv memories ofhuman existence and the flickering remnants of humanity's burning fa ith were n t sufficien t to erase thousands of years of learning to hate and re 'em. Even those Scourges who
were the most gentle and forgiving of their House are

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The Scourge (lid not ink completely into witless obsession, however, and neither did they forger their ultimate rni sian, Compelled with the lash of their True Name, most et about establishing their own power in the world to better pave the way for their masters to return. 111e major problem faced by many Scourges ill preparing for a full-scale demonic return ro Earth was that of their own hosts. The mortals who called most strongly to Scourge desperately seeking a host were also often the mortals most battered by modem soderv and those least able CO provide morral resources ~O[ the newly born demon to use. Admittedly, with a confident and powerful derncn nowin the: driver's seat pointless terror' that plagued the mortal were usually of little consequence 1:0 the new entity, and their situations in life usually improved rapidly. The mortal hosts brought little advantage f their own to the demon's new life, however, and most Scourg had r tart from scratch in building a potent and u eful existence for themselves. This fact contrasted sharply with demons of other Houses - particularly the Devils - who were naturally drawn ro people of power and importance, which gave them 21 significant head -start.in this most

dismayed by the wreck of the Paradise rhey built and the bovine contentment of [he humans who have
fallen so far from the grea mess of the ir ancestors. It is hard for them to look at humanity and see mortals who were truly worthy of the price mat the (alien angels paid for their sake. It us hard nor to resent: the waste the humans have made of the gifts Lucifer and hi' kind gave them a such a cot to themselves.

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In [he rn dern World of Darkness.

many angels

of the Second Hou e are d sperately trying t reassure rhernsel ve that there is still some goo salvageable in humanity-that the flawed creatures before: them can be remade to achieve the glory of their earliest kin. With the sobering experience of the war behind them, and still bearing the scars of their torment in the Abyss, few Scourges are capable of the uncomplicated and unconditional love they once felt or humanity. Instead, most examine mankind with a critical ese, earching out the merits and porentlsl that they once deemed worthy of any sacrifice to protect.

unexpected of race .

fon.G.II'1G ANEw Hn:rm.n

~N

TRi'\NGf', fuw WORLD As First demons broke through the barriers of

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the Abyss and streamed toward 'the mortal world, many of them were Scourges, Wl1en the cracks in rheir prison walls began to appear, die Scourge were weU placed to rake dvantazeof d1~relute to freedom, and those crh.derling hesitant to leave comparative a:fety were ordered OLl[ en masse y their demon masters, As a result, many of the newly freed demon [n the first exodus 1:0 the modem World of Darknes were Scourges, putting U1e.House in a good posicion to build a olid power base right from the first days. Unforturutt~ly fo[' them, the Scourges were nor the most palitica1ly motivated angels, nor [he most unified. and they did nor capitalize on their early advantage as other Houses did. Countless Scourges were struck anew with theirfasclnarton with humans that they'd managed ro put aside during exile, and many other priorities were forgotten in the first flush of renewing Asharu acquainrance with that strange, quixotic beast called humanity.

On an organizational level, the Second Hall e underwent profound change during the first period of adjustment to life on new earth. Previously the courges had been iod pendent and dec enrra lized , each acti ng from his own consc ience and focusing on humanity rather (han acting as part of a cohesive House force. In the World of Darkness, however, demons quickly found that humans were differenttbey lacked [he wonder and joy and so many other traits oftheir ancienrpredecessor .and in many ways, they were complete stranger to [he Asharu. Despite instincts 'tclLing them. 1:0 focus on mankind, many c urges found themselves disconcerted and uncomfortable with these almost-strangers, so [hey turned to their own kind for reassurance. and support in a way that many had [lever done before. As a consequence, the hierarchies of the Asharu now carry much more prestige and exercise more power than they did during the war. House affiliations are now at least as strong for many Scourges as they are for other demons. In many cases, in fact; they are stronger, Many of the other Houses have always been as focused on [heir brethren s on humanity, bu it i a new phenomenon for the Scourges, and therefore stronger for the novelty of it,

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Senior Scourges. have realized that this new dependence on - and loyalty to - the Second House could dissipate over time as the Asharu become accustomed rorhe new order of things, in the World of Darkness, so they are acting now to secure longterm lovalrvand service from subordinate Asharu. These strategies have ranged from personal-s- accumulating favors, debts and informacion on individual Scourges to ensure their continued allegiance - to political. Several high-ranked Scourges have concentratedon inserting themselves into the hierarchies of other power blocs not just for the advantage [0 themselves but for the political power over their Asharu under lings that it gi ves them. Need less to say, other members. of the various power blocs would be 'Jess than happy with the Asharu should they discover that the Scourges have been diverting factional or court resources to advance the agendas of the Second House.

most ha ve not lost rhe knack of endea ri ng thernsel ves where they wish to.

POWEH PLi\I.~S
Nazriel stil] leads the House of the Rising Wind. Now she does it as Nazathor; Princess of Majestic Liberation, and she is very d ift:erem from thecloubcful and repentant creature she was before Lucifer's defeat at' Michael's hands. Hertime in the Abyss scoured away much of the sweet gentleness of her persona Hty and taught her [he truths of necessity. While she might not have plunged as far into savagery as such demons as Belial and Abaddon, she learned the lessons of the Abyss well and discovered that she was capa b le of tn uch more harsh practical ity than she had ever suspected. In the World of Darkness she no longer exudes

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the comfort that endeared her to all. Her softness

has been. abraded away only to show the force. ofher personali [y wait i ng beneath, Gent le or no, N azathor began her existence as a Throne of Heaven and

The nascent power bloc of the Second House carries compl ications far many Scourges, as it tangles their loyalties even further. In addition to existing allegiances to their legions, factions and infernal Second

retains as much majesty and power as any demon.

She remains as one of [he workl's most powerful fallen angels and has risen to greatness within rhe Lucifetan faction. Her quest to recover their fallen leadet is shared by many Scourges, who found me Luciferan faction the most appealing during the long years of strife and argument ill. the Abyss. It was for love of, and in emulation of, the Morningstar that 003rtY' Angels of

courts, the new power implicit in the unity of the House requires every Scourge to have an opinion on it. Whether each Scourge chooses to

throw in her lot with her earliest peers and give her loyal ty to the House of the Rising Wind, ignores the new claims upon her allegiance and continues to devote herself (0 her faction's existing agendas, or tries to walk a carefulliine between any number of masters" the rise of the Second House as a concrete entity has had an impact on every modern Scourge. Despite the new focus on the Second House as an entity unto ir:seif; the ties that bind Asharu to humans are what make them what they are. As much. as, any other demons, the Scourges are still TOO deeply obsessed with humanity to just forget about them overnight, which is evident from thelr behavior in the mortal world. Very few Scourges are w illing to cut themselves off from mortals entirely. Those who choose to do so me usually of [he Ellil visage, distant and detached scours and spies who were the most objective and least attached to humanity. The majority of the Second House has developed. dose ties to humans, e ven if the Scourges are busy sorting our how important those mortal bonds are to them. A;:, a consequence, most Asharu have strong connections with the mortal world - power, money. contacts, devoted followers. 'While not the astute politicians the Devils are, nor yet irresistible tempters like. Defilers, the Scourges have never forgotten. the easy comfert of interacting with humans, and

[he Second House fell in the beginn:1ng; lI;:would be a mockery of everyd1.m,g they are to abandon their

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leader now. Nazather's eminence within the Luciferans helped her secure her power within the Second House, in facr. So many Scourges accepted her as [heir political superior due 10 her factional power that she {OUM she had a considerable cadre of allies and subordinates within the House of the Firmament itself. Where Nazarher leads me Second House most v isib lv, she has found an unexpectedajl y inYesh iniel, a faustian Scourge of some power, Although he never advanced much beyond the rankoffell knight' during [he war, he was one of the fi.rsrdemons ro escape his Abyssal prison, and one ef the mest powerful of the first wave. He promptly set about capitalizing on his early advantage with a: political flair worthy of a. Devil, and he built himself a significant power base of mortal followers and secularinfluence long before the more pC'lwerrfu\ fallen breached [he bounds of [he Ahyss'. Au resul t he was able [0 supply aid to all manner of newly released demons - including some of the most powerful-c-

and he rapidly developed a healthy stock of debts,

favors and other political treats.

belief m rile falle.n angels" missing leader. Apart frorn

her loyalty to the Second House - reborn stronger than ever In this cold, faithless world - she is most srrongly motivated by her- near-obsessive search for the Morningstar. Luciferans, snmply because the Morningstar is very important 1:.0 her personally rather than just a figurehead.and inspiration. Rumors tell that she was lucifer's

Yeshinlel and Nazathor have been working together to secure the fortunes of the Second House in

the modem world. Yeshiniel holds some power in the

Infernal Court of Boston, and with Nazathor's influence over me Luciferan faction, they have been able to draw on their power ill other spheres of faHen

N azathor is more devoted ro her cause than most

society ro promote the Second House's agendas as well, Narurallv, other power players indemonic polldes have noticed rise of this new competitor for their subordinates' loyalty, and although no one has taken active steps Ver, it's unlikely [hat Nazarbor and Yeshlniel will be ab~e 1:0 continue their program of consolidation with no interruptions.

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lover, and her behavior certainlv doesn't belie that;

she uses every resource available 'to her in ber search

for Lucifer. Traveling frequently between Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro, Nazathot [IIUSt: delegate manv of her most important tasks 1:0 underlings as she simply has no time co spare frornher constanr search.

Ulrimatelv, the House of the Rising Wind is a

very different entity reborn in the modern World of

ll:e5J1INIEL
In M first incarnation as an Angel of the Firmament, Yeshinlel was The Archangel of Skyborne Contemplation, and his reputation for careful observation. and measuredacrion would indicate that he had joined me Crvptics. Yet (bat is nor so. His earliest days in the modern world provided this quietly cakulating Fll11litbm with ihe bllilding blocks (1f personal pnwer, and he exploited his every advantage to become one of the most powerful Scourges in the modern world. Currently claiming a position as overlord, and

Darkness, and it would be almost unrecognizable

to

the earliest Angels of the Firmament, Most of its House members have had their uncondirional love

and compassion flayed away. T urned from gentleness [0 bitterness by millennia of excommuntcatlon in the
Abyss, 'they are no longer wining to give themselves so selflessly to the human race. The Scourges are far more tempered by self-interest and calculation than they once were, so they are much more inclined 1:0 associate with their like-minded House brethren. As

a consequence, the Second House has a cohesion and

identity in modern times that it never

enjoyed - or

needed--indte

ancient agesof war.

r1V\OU5~
The modem world operates under different rules

Nazarhor, who has nod1.ing to lose ifpowershtfts from. factional alliances to House-based loyalties, and he has carefully used his position and wealth (0 gazher
information. His morral identity
is known

looking hungrily at the aurhori ty ofa baron, Yeshin ie I is the primary proponent of the Second House as an independent political entity ..He is aided by Princess

·cllJail it did during the ancient times of paradise and war that the demons tmdetilmnd best, The traitsthat
made -for greatness before the
not necessarily qualitie thar will lead
[0

as Isaac

Baker, an aggressive young Boston businessman whose

exile te the Abyss are

fame or

technology company has made leaps and bounds of

late, amassing a considerable fortune. Yeshlniel and his followers are cUITent11' the main seekers of bst Scourges. Yeshinlel has a great deal of infoemarion at his fingertips, and he uses it to track down undiscovered, unaligned and unaware Asharu

power in the Wodd IOf Darkness, bur there is still an opporrmiiry fat [hose who understand ebb and flow of the mndem wodd to distinguish themselves. Equally, in rush to establish power bases and :elme holdings in the new world, the old power srrucruresowere,shHkeo up REidremade anew. The. lowllesr

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who can be recruited at his discretion. When he does

find a prodigal Scourge, Yeshlniel does his best to inculcate IQy.alty to hiJ:lJ.selffirstID1d the House of the

n vel! exalted by prcmodonor recognlrion in the ofd ;'rd(!r~suddenly found themselves with an oppormniqr 1:0 seize greatness for themselves and ha verm;pended 8Gwrdingly. demons,

Risi ng W ind second. The Second House as a poll tical entiry is Yeshiniel's best hope for wide-scale power of his own. Although many of rhe world's "big names"

~TtlQ8

The PrinceBsof'Mfijesrk; Liberation. as the Scourge once kncwnas Nazriel DOW calls herself, is one of the most powerful dremonsfnthe modem war Id. Released
she l~ risen to power within. the faction of the Laciferans, as befi~ her still-passionate
from the

owe him favon" he 's st ill a weak fish in a pond fulJ of strong ones, a nd 01IV ing OUI: a niche for himself in the factional system is more of an uphill battle than in a new power structure he can help to forge.
OlIT',,)iU i'L11

Abys,s,

Formerlv the Archangel of the Ocean Wind, Ouesrucarl ts a shining light among the peaceful

Reconciler faction .. Many demons - Reconcilers or no - seek (0 emulate her calm serenity, for she has managed to purge many of her negative emotions and is one of the fallen ijeast scarred by the torment ofthe Abyss. She remains hopeful that the Reconcilers and the fallen angels as a whole - can repair [he damage they have caused and perhaps win redemption for themselves. At her heart, Ouestucati hopes rnoststrongly that the hard work of the Reconcilers can absolve humanity of its sins. that the sacrifice of the fallen angels can win forgiveness for their beloved humans if not for themselves. She qu lerl y encourages many of the junior faction adherents in this goal, and a small corps of Reconcilers has formed who believe that martyrdom may be me only way to undo the damage thev have caused.

of the Fiends or [he creative instincts of the Male~ factors, the Scourges are not at the forefront of the push to rediscover or reinvent old glories. Thatdoes not mean. they're prepared to sit idly by. however, and the Second House seeks its legacies as eagerly as any other.

RELICS
The relics of the. Scourges were. usually designed

ticularly focused upon humanity. For others, the venom implicit in the "scourge" sobriquet ruled their lives, and their relics were designed '(0 harm.

to further their primary roles. For many Scourges, This meant healing, protecting and nurturing roles, par-

mnOTti
Once Inaroth was

an ethereal and remote angel whose cool breezes

freshened the minds andspirirs of all [hey touched. In the war she served as Lady Inarorh, her powers buoying the combatants likewise. The banishment' of the fallen angels to the Abyss hit her very hard, however. and in grief and anger; she blamed humanity and the rebellion's leaders for her punishment. She was recruited earlyfor the Raveners and became one of their most dedicated members. On her freedom from the Abyss she initially inhabited Dinah Masterson, a ho~eless ymmg srreer thiefin London's East Eod" but quickly discarded her in favor of a far more useful host. She currently uses the idenriryofone Rebecca Windsor, a travelerbackpacking and working her way around the world, to act as a messenger and emissary of [he Raveners. She is constantly heartbroken at the wreckage of Paradise that the world has become, and she sees little hope of any meaningful repair. Her venomous zephyrs and clouds of pollution wend their way across various parts of northern Europe, serving to intensify an already-grim atmosphere and make the world just that little bit bleaker. Other Scourges of the Elljl visage have pleaded with her to clean their skies, not befoul them futther, but she. seems lost to moderation and reason.

the Principality

ofT rade Winds,

With [he focus on humanity so many Asharu possessed, [heir relics were often centered around mortals ..Unlike most Houses, Asharu ofren created these precious and valuable items expressly (or their mortal charges, the better to protectthem,

me

i\n1'\OI\
signed

The Armor of Air is a rar,e and cunningly dedevice, built fat protection and defense.

or 2\m

Although anyone can use the item, such relics were usually only bestowed au beloved humans, for only in their defense could the Asharu justify the com of
creating this artifact [Q themselves. The Armor of Air is enchanted into a small symbolic adornment, often a brooch or a buckle. On rare occasions the enchanrnient WaS" also applied to shields and suits of armor. The in!11\Sto be enchanted were always hand-m.aae of the finest materials, a!l a poorer vessel would not serve ro hold the pnweiful enchantments theartif'aGt requires. Whe.n it: is atrivated,the armor protects the wearer from attacks both near and far. It generates a shell of near-solid air around the wearer that acts Itke several. advantages over munaal"l'e·ru:mor lIS well. It is light and does neil:; amper the wearer. It is far more h discreet than an outfit of solid metal hu:~ (or, these days, Kevlar vests). Greatest of all, 't appears only

a suit of armor in protecting him from damage. It has

when required. The captured spirjr of

demon

at,1

angel or

trapped inside makes Sure 0 ~lnar. Originally these relics were ImBued with the spirits of vanquished angels, the Seen's andthese of other Houses capllhl.e of predlcting harm before it

happened.
splrirs Like every House's ancient history, the lost artifacts and arcane knowledge of the Scourges are of paramount importance in these strange new times of chaos and upheaval. Without the logistic genius

Later they were also created with. the

of fallen angels, w ~ther giving a fallen comrade a chance to serve In one last way or q u ietl y disposing of ideological orpo1r~jcal rivals, After the defeat of Lucifer's :forces; the Heavltnly H05t found and retrieved the, relles with angelic spirits within. Those few that e$ca~ed destruction ~ and

-w

1l0lil~nF1'IIl~

F e\LLY",'

those created since demonic presences.

-are

all empowered

with

System; Like regular armor, (he Armor of Air provides the wearer with a dice pool. of six with which to soak ranged attacks, When the armor is protecting against melee or hand-to-hand attacks in close combat, the attacker must succeed ina resisted roll against it. The air shell is quite resi rant to force. although it:

fall ing damage or the like.

is not sufftcienr

to

cushion the beneficiary from

It can I e activated an unlimited number of times per day. The owner can choose to activate it if he wishes, and the player must make a Faith roll to do so (or WlHpower, if the user i mortal). USll!ally, 'however, the Armor of Air is acti vated by the spiri t bound into it. This spirit uses its own powers to detect or predict incipient attack and activate the shell of air j u st in time to protect the wearer from harm. The armor d e not provide any defense against attacks that are not normally mitigated by armor, unless [he attack requires physical contact with the victim. In that case the attacker may make a resisted Strength + A rhletics roll (difficulty 7) against the armor's dice pool to touch the wearer. The Entrapped Spirit: Binding •• (may only resist orders directly contrary to it nature), Empowerment •• (Vessel Control, pirirual Infusi n). The spirits trapped within these relics were u ually those f the Fourth Hou e, or others wirh similar lore. Mastery of the Lore of Pattern I invaluable in predicting incoming attacks, to allow the spirit to activate the artifact's powers at the correct times. These spirits usually have access to Foresee (Parterns ••• ) and two or three ocher evocations from other lore paths. Evocations from the Lore of the Fundament are common for strengthening the shield of air. If the indjvidual demon in the relic has Manipulate Gravity, Manipulate Inertia or Manipulate Cohesion (Fundament ...... or - ..... re pectively), the relic' wearer can use the annat' dice p o[ to resist fallin damage and the Wee as well

a damage from combat. (0J1D17\LOr Dl\G.i\J

The Cord ial of Dagan d raws on the power of the Lore of Awakening to hea] the sick and wounded.
Desp ite the name, the relic actually takes the form of a flask, carafe or other device far storing liquid. When warerororher potable llquld are placed within it, they acquire restorative properties that are applied ro the first person r take a dri nk. The Cord ial of Dagan was fi:r: t develope 0 ea e the !burden n Scourges stretched to their limits after major barrles and drsa ters during the war. Relics of

this nature were developed and lent to mortal aides who would minister to the wounded aftera battle. Some few were bestowed permanently on human leaders and healersftorn isolated settlements, to rna lln~ rain the popu ladon.in good health despite- the demands on the Second House. The physical objects used for the Cordial of Dagan have always been of exquisite manufacture. The artifact is powerful in that it combines two evocations to produce its effects,and such power requires a strong vessel to hold it. System: To produce the healing effects of the Cordial of Dagan, the user must fill it with half a pint of dean and potable liquid. Water ns of course the most common, but sweeter liquids were often used [0 produce medications for children. The relic will nor cleanse liquid Itself if it is poisoned or contaminated, and therefore a drinker will suffer any ill effects caused by the liquid. The relic takes one minute [0 convert half a pint of liquid into the power- imbued elixir that will cure the UL Someone who drinks the liquid must consume all of it to be affected (although leaving a few drops behind does not pose a problem). Doses cannot be split to affect several people, and any residue of a dose that affects someone wjll cease to have any special properties of its own. The artifact must be activated every time a dose of elixir is imbued with healing- properties. Activation requlres .a faith roB or expending a Faith po in t for de mons, or a W illpowe r roll or poi n t for mortals, The artifact can be activated an unlimited number of times per scene, but converting each dose requires a minute. The: dose remains completely normal until the end of that minute, then It is imbued with the Lore of Awakening as the artifact's power rushes into it. The elixir has a dice pool of 8 to affect the physical maladies of whoever drinks it, One success (against difficul~y 7) is sufficient [0 cure the drinker of diseases and maladies, unless they are caused by other supernatural sources. One success is also sufficient to heal all of rhe drinker's bashing damage. Every additional success will heal one level of the drinker's lethal damage. TI'1.eelixir has no effect on aggravated damage. Example: Za.chariah is afflicted with cancer and hru three levels of ba.shing damage. He al.sohas three levels of lethal damage from a figk His p,/ayer roUS eight dice after he drinks a draft from the Cordial of Dagan against difficulty 7, and getS fOLir successes. He can allocate them wherever he chooses among ,the charac tel"' s various maladies. He chooses to use one

success ro cure the cancer within him, and applies [he three remaining successes to heal his lethal damage. Hall he wished, he cotlkl ha.tJi~ used one of those successes to heal all of his bashing damage ,at once, bue he wotAd then have been left. with either [he cancer. or

an

one

/eval of lethal damage.

me

(Hll.5Ti\.L 1.)ALL The myths of crvs ta 1 balls possessing marvelous clairvoyant powers had to stem from somewhere \ and the Crystal Ball relics of theScourges are the probable cause, These artifacts were invaluable for aiding the Asharu in their guardianship of humanity. Drawing on the Lore of the Firmament, they allow the user to see the location and situa tion of any target she chooses, She must merely know the target's name or have one of his possessions. A CrYSTal Ball is a round, heavy sphere of dense crystal. Most are three to four inches in diameter, we ighing several pounds, The Crystal Ball isrransparent, but it reflects and refracts light at crazy angles.so looking through it shows outlandish dtsroruons of what's on the other side. To use the Crystal BaH,. [he user rests it over the target's name or possessions. In [he case of the target's name, the user must inscribe it in angelic script and rest the !BaHon the writing: for tangible possessions the Crystal Ball can be placed upon them or held just above. AJ;,. [he user calls on the power of the relic, it shows her visions.of (he target, whatever they may be. System: Activating the. Cry$tan Ball requlres the user's player to make a Faith ro~l or s-pend a Fa ith pain r if the chsracter is one of the fallen. Lf she's mortal, the player males a Willpower roll or spends a Willpower point. Once it has been activated, the ball has a peel fjf seven dice to produce irs effects. The:difficulry for the roll is,8 if the user has the targe ['S possessions or mortal name, '7 if she's targeting a. Celestial Name a(ld 6 for a True Name. Obviously, if the user seeks a mortal, the difficulty will always he 8. The number of successes determines the amount
of information the Crystal will show. (~ne: success shows an image of the target and his surroundings,

B~n

Two successes show a five-yard (@ius -areund the 'target. Three successes allow {he user t<l hear as well as see the proceedings. Four successes give d1e user a sense of the direction the target is in, relative to her. Each use of the Crystal Ballrequhe,s, an. activation. If [he user is unsarisfied with the vislob. she sees, she must reactivate the ball to l09k again.. Note that nobody other thanthe user can see 'the images or hear the sounds of the Crystal Ball's revelations.

51

E7\GLr.EcIE.5
TI1e eyes of the Anshar, which could see ITom one horizon tothe other, were envied by all whosoughrto watch the world. They were valued, [QO, for the incredible perceptive abilities they bestowed upon the Asharu scouts who were 50 invaluable to Lucifer's hosts, lnevirablv, relic-makers decided that that abilicy should be shared with other demons, and the first Eagle Eyes were created. Eagle Eyes draw upon the power of the Anshar v isage to improve the wearer's sight beyond measure. They me crystal lenses tharfic over the eyes, in much the same way that modem contact lenses do, although they are used for much more than corrective or cosmetlcpurposes. lu the days of the war,mey were crafted from the finesr crystal with honed evocarions, in the modem. world, they are made. co look. much like. contact lenses and are often colored OJ styled to suit

Jars of Winds were rradlrlcnally day receptacles strengthened wi th willow, with tlglitl y firting lids wedged i.rI place. They have been updated in rhetr construction in rhe modem world, raklng the form cf anvrhtng from a thermos flask to a kitchen
srorage jar. Even so, their lids are tight-Iitting very sturdy, and

fortified buildings. The jars of Winds known in [he modern world do not approach [his power, but th,ey can. still be used.for everything fromclearing miasmas and polluted air to keeping hostile bodles at bay. System: Using the Jar of Wtnds merely requires

When the lid ofaJruofWinds is opened, a strong gust of air streams out continuously. Ir is forceful enough to knock people down. Rumors persist of older, more powerful relics that produced winds with enough power to batter down doors and walls of

that disguise. System: Eagle Ey.es bestow more-than-perfect Sight on the wearer. At norma! viewing rangearhe
relic's wearer can see derails she'd [lever normally notice ~ the difficulty of all Perception rolls decreases hy three - while the maximum range of her sight is extended literally ten-fold. The lenses do nor bestow any other enhanced senses on me wearer. When the lenses are first worn, the user's player must 012ke a Faith roll or expend a Faith point (for demons), or~ Willpower roll or po Lot (fm mortals) to activate the attifac.t's pow~r:;. The lenseS come ali a pair,. and the only work when worn as 11 pair. Oru?.t': mey have been activated, their powers constantly in effe:c,t until the lenses are next removed. Mortal.eves, however, were aot designed to have lenses over them all tlie rime. After wearing the lenses fora week, [he usennustmakea$rtlllli.L1<1 check every day (a,g~i'll5t d.ifficulty 7) until she has taken the lenses outand left them our ftlr a whole day without wearing them, Failing a Stamina check lnfliets a level afbashingdamage on the wearer.as her eyes become

a character to remove lid. The winds trapped within will roll forth. in a cons tam stream. The winds,

me

will blow for a full scene before petering out, The jar
expenditure of a Faith point (elf demons, or a Will·

must then be capped and re-opened to reactivate its powers. Each activation requires a Faith roll or an power roil or point for mortals. If the winds are used to blow aW2 y noxious gases, the jarcanclear iii cubic foot of aia every five seconds,

The relic has eighrdice (or irs orher uses and its effects
in general. They can be used as a pool ro exert force
against people

rather than abeating wlllJ, j[ will push targets around or over rather than inflicting damage directly upon

or objects,

but as it's a steady pressure

remain

them. To knock over an opponent, make an opposed roll using the jar's dice pool against the target's
Strength. Opening a door with the jar uses the system found on page 233 of the Demon core rules. (Consider [he jar's Strength to be 8.) Similarly, breaking or affecting other physical objects is covered by the Feats of Strength table on page 232 of the Demon rulebook. Narurallv ,the relic's user can take the indirect approach and cause damage ro a target by pushing lr over, or off a surface, and allowing gravity

unbearably imitated from the lenses.

Ji\R Of' WII'ID'·

to do

d1e

rest.

The Ml1IIu were tJ[ iginall y created as pan of the Rouse of the Rising Wind, and although many

&r:D'S l)rJ\CON
Need's Beacon ill one ofthe relics must commonly given to mortals. Indeed, these beacons were designed and enchanted forthat purpose, to safeguard the mortal lives so central to the Asharu's role in Creation. These relics supercede the usual 8biliry of the f<lillento detect someone uttering their name, and allow the fallen a quick and accurate glimpse. of the marta 1using the arti fact, as we II as the peril threatenLng them.

Scourgeschosero focus on their roles ali. healers and protectors, none were capable of forgetting [heir dtvine associarinn wirh the air and skies. The swift
gUSts

co~ed._

so easily by Asharu of the Ellil

visage WeT13mv:aluablec for tasks hig and small, and it was often. considered a. good idea to have tame wi nels

available even. when the Angels of the Wimds were

otherwise occupied.

f:nW1'IiR

f"

Need's Beacons are usually small glass tu bes with ornaments within, ancient and sturdy reeds, spun crystal balloons as pendants or other similar fragile body omaments. The enchantment is activated by snapping the reed, crushing the bauble or otherwise breaking open the item. When the item is activated, it sends a cry of distress [0 me demon who created rhe relic, snagging his attention and indicating that the bearer of theitem needs him. The beacons can. be used only once, and are then rendered inert. I'll most cases, this is represented by a breakage of the relic's physical form as well, Although theenchantment does not strictly require this condition, it was usually incorporated by the creators of these relics to discourage trivial or casual use by the mortals who bore them. breaking it open and making a Willpower roll or spending a point of Willpower. Each beacon can be activated only once, Once it's activated, the creator of the relic can sense that a mortal is trying to attract her artention, just as ifher Celestial or True Name had been spoken (see Demon, p, 171). The demon rolls the relic's pool of t 2 dice, however, instead ofher Faith score (olifficulrv 6). TIle number of successes determines how much information the demon receives about the mortal. One success tells the demon who it is and what he looks like. Two successes show the mortal's surroundings, including any physical threat or people surrounding him. Three successes tell her how far away the morral is, and four successes indicate in. what direction ..This effect is not blocked by distance or [he barrier between dimensions. The mortal user of this relic does not have to be a thra 11ofthe demon who receives the message. Furthermore, the demon who enchants the relic can nominate another one of the fanIen to be the target of the cry fur help, in her place. This must be done during the enchaertment procedure. for which the replacement demon must be present. Once the enchantment is finalized, target of the message cannot be changed. In [his case, [he new recipient counts as the creator for the purpose of the relic's powers.

and ridges that hint of torture. TheV are the size of a large dagger, with a blade no more than 8 foot long. A Plague-Knife cuts, and cuts deeply, but the

worsrof its damage is in what II[leaves behind. PlagueKn ives bestow a horrible sickness upon their victims. The disease is not usually contagious, but it weakens any suFferers not immediatelydispatched by the blade. The. more brutal Scourges realized early in the war that a wounded or sickened enemy was better than a

dead one, for he required resources and effort from 11is allies to tend to him while he healed. The PlagueKnives Were ostensibly designed with this end in mi n I, although few other demons wished to question the Scourges who gloried in their use.

System: Activating

me item involves

System: Activating the infernal powers of a Plague-Knife requires the player to make a Faith or spend a point of Faith; for mortals, make a Willpower roll or spend a point of Willpower. Wirnout activation, [he Plague-Knife acts as an ordinary dagger in com bar, but once the wielder has called on its enchantments, [he effects are far greater. It can be activated lip to three. times per scene, and each activation lasts until one successful blow has been struck. Note that the use of B Plague-Knife could count as an offense on the Hierarchy of Sins (see page 159 of the Demon core rules), depending on the Torment of the demon who wields it.

ron

Once thedagger has been activated, it has a pool of .LO dice for its effects 1 to he raUed against a difficulty of 7. On a successful strike against an opponent - one t~t mfllet;_s at least .one level of damage. - the player rol .the Plague-Knife's dice

pee l. Each success'infhcts a level of bash ing damage

to the victim. in addition to the levels of le1:1)ru damage done by the knife itself. In addition, the victim loses a ~emporlP"Y, Willpower point each day after the artac ,8.tldsuffers another level of basbing damage as the Plague-Knife's disease lakes effect in his body. The d~easp lingers for a number of daysequal to the wielder's Faith score, and ircannot be cured by ordinary medicine. The Oleanse evocation of the Lore of Awakening can be efficaci.oLls, butthe disease requires a difficulty of 9 to C1U(:... Note that the-Plague-Knife's powers donotwork against nonliving-but-animate opponents, This inc ludes the walkiqgclead created by o~e[fallen·powers, or any number of sujrernenrral csearures, ar Storyteller's discretion. ~gaiIlS_t. such enemies, the Plague-Knife is just a knife.

me

PL]\GUE~ The Plague-Knife is a sad result of [he war's distortion of [he Asharu's proud purpose. It rakes the Asharu lore of healing and succor and evokes a twisted reflection to inflict pain and misery on a victlm. A number of variations of this weapon exist, though most were destroyed after the vanquished clemons. were banished ro the Abyss. Plague-Knives are usually vicious, black-bladed weapons with hooks

l\mre

me

RITUALS
Rituals were developed by the fallen angels in a ti me of need, desperate ran advanrage over their

53

11()uu;s OF'I'm: F \I,Ll!'

opponents. ties. -

The

courges were well S lilted CO rituals,

ince so many of their most important responsibiliand protection of be exercised at a distance orr over a period of time, While Asharu were nor averse to immediate ac ion when circumranees warranted it, rhey would can serve their energies and extend theirabi li ies with ritual 'whenever they could, maintaining

their human charges -

me

health could

me

functions as usual, but passengers suffer level of 'bashing damage every hour from the vile air that surrounds it. It destroys small creatures and plants in its wake. Greenery wilts and bird drop our of the sky

at its pass mg. Variations:

Storms

More of the rituals of the Asharu can be found in

Chapter Six of the Demon Players Guide. CLOUD Cftf\Jl nOT Demons with mastery over the Lore of the Fundamenr Of the L re of Winds found that their powers added easy strength and speed [Q their wings, making fast travel trivial. Many other fallen had no uch advantage and neither did any of their beloved mortalso the Cloud Chariot was developed. It shapes air into a solid vessel for the Ankida and her friends and allies to ride, and itt allowed safe and easy travel in an age of war when such advantages, w re invaluable. Primary Lore: Lore of the Winds ••••

Wirh rhe addition of the Lore of •• , the conjured chariot can safely be ubmerged without fear of dissipation. The ve el can travel below water with no problems, although its progress is far slower. 11[8 speed is reduced to a quarter of normal, and it can only go to a dep h of 10 times the Ankida's Faith 'core in yards. If the ritual is rn dified to increase the Lore of the Wincll to ••• '•• , the vessel takes its own air supply with it, providing breathable air for the passengers a long as the Chariot remains below water. Including the Lore of Awakening •••• allows the vessel to move without the direction of tine Ankida. She must still be aboard, but she can merely give the craft orders and then sleep, pass om or become as incoherent as she likes. The vessel will c ntinue with its predefined orders as long as [he ritual lasts, or until the Anlkida gives new commands.
.FOG or {JJi\I\
The Fog of War was developed to hide groups of demons and their morral allies from enemy troop . The ritual summons evanescent wirls of fine cloud and mist thatsubrly billow around the Ankidaandl his companions. WIth nothing so vulgar as a puff of smoke. the group vanishes from morral sight and even becomes hard to spot by other demons. Primary Lore: Lore of the Winds '••• Secondary Lore: Lore of Humanity ••• Base Cost: 12 Restrictions: The area of the sigil must be overlaid with maiden I veil soaked in tears.

Secondary Lore: Lore of the Fundament • Base Cost: 10 Restriction· : The ritual must b cast under open ky, in an area of at least 60 percent humidity. Minimum Casting Time: 25 minutes System: The ritual - onjures up a clear, glassy
carriage or sleigh. Roll tarnina Chariot one hour of existence. TIle chariot can hold the ritual's .Ankida, plus one extra person fot every dot of the .Anldda's permanent Faith score. The vessel moves at the-Ankida's will. Although she doe n't need to concentrate onttfigidl y .she does need to he COOSG.ious and coherenr.If for some reason she passes out, is incapable of rarional mental thought (such as being drugged) or leaves the vessel, the chariot demareriaiizes and gravity reasserts irs hold over the former passengers. The chariot is,fast and maneuverable .. I [8 top speed (in mille's per hour) is equal to the Ankida's Faith score multiplied by 50. It's capable 0'£ full rhree-dimensronal movement, though it cannot be subrnergec] in watee wlthout dissipating, and it can r ach an altitude of half the Ankida's Faith vessel like a chariot,

+ urvlval. Each uccess gives me Cloud

Minimum Casting Time: 36 minutes

System: The ritual conceals the Ankida and his

allies from '[he sight of mortals, The players of each

rnorta I who should see the hidden group may make a Willpower test against difficulty 8. [f he achieve more successes than the ritual casting did, he can perceive the group normally (though such perception does not magically reveal the group to alllY viewer other man that mortal). Otherwise, the group is hidden from mortal sight. The fog automatically conceals the Ankida and a number of additional people-demons or ruortals==equal to the Anklda's Faith score. The ritual does affect the erceptions 0 other fallen, but 0 a much smaller degree. A demon can see the concealed group if 'he succeed on a

score in miles. Torment; The higb.~Torrnent effect of this ritual create a vessel shaped of the very essence of corrup[ion. The chariot is fanned pf douds of itter ac id and bilious air, and it emits a.noxiou tench of decay. It

5-1

Gil WTP.lll'\\O

Perception + Alertnessroll to the Ankida's Fauh,

with a difficulty

equal

Roll Dexterity + Manipularion. Each success gives the fog an hour of dunn ion. After which it dissipates immediately. Demons and others with supernatural awareness register the cloud as a supernatural presence or source of supernatural energy (sec:Demon, p. 172).

T ormennWhen T ormenr affects th is ritual, the fogir creates is ominous and menacing ..The figures wi ch in are obscured by the lJi llows, but the cloud itse l.f is.an vthi ng but d iscreet. Shot through with angry gra y and red streaks, it looks Like a thundercloud in miniature. Enemies who come into contact with the fog are scalded by its venom. It inflicts the Ankida's Faith score in levels oflethal damage 0[1 any non-concealed person touched by the cloud.
Variationse With the addition of the Lore of the Beast •• , [he characters within the cloud become invisible to animals as well. culty for viewers to see through the cloud by one. Including Humanity •• suggests to mortals affected by the concealment that they didn't just see

Adding the Lore of Light • increases the diffi-

nothing at all, they saw something else entirelyparticularly innocuous

something

and appropriate,

like a grazing herd of deer, a. flock of gulls, a group of

toddling children or anything else that would lull the mortals into inattention, A ml'lr'tal can resist this effect with a successful W illpower [0 U (difficuI ry 8}! bur if the roll achieves more' successes than the

Ankida's Willpower, then the entire effect of the cloud, concealment and all, is negated for that
mortal only.

rnOCUU\TE
The Inoculate ritual Was developed by desperate Asharu who wearied ~ seeing the Jill-man tribes ravaged

agai n and again by thed iseases of war - both n atural diseases ull'3.voidab le in the poor living cond i.... tions of a war-torn land and supernatural maladies

that spread as fast as breath thanks to m;:illdous Or hard-hearted members of the Secoll-d House on b~th sides of the conflict. Their patience wore thin with Constant intercessions to the rest of the Motnings,mr's bose to exercise restraint and Care fi:l>H;he humans on whose beh.alf ci\e,\, fought Even; ally the: Asharu motion before. [he fact to protect the hmnans when it was necessary and the Asharu could !lOt be there.

turned to preventative medicine, setting plans in

Primary Lore; Lore otA.wakening·· Secondary Lore: Lore of Partems. • • Base Cost; 10

55

nOlISESOFTIIEF·lliE~

Restriction : The sigil must be drawn in quicksilver. Minimum Casting Time: 25 minutes
System: The Inoculate ritual protects all the beneficiaries from future infection, disease and ill health for a given period of time. The protection of the ritual lasts for a number of weeks equal to the Ankida's Faith score. During casting of the ritual, roll Stamina + Medicine (difficulty 6). The number of successes indicates die. number of people the rlrual can protect. Although it is equally efficadolls on mortals, demons, animals and indeed all Iiv ing things, the Inoculate ritual is usually used to protect.group of mortals to whom the Asharu do not have easy or frequent access,

OrmaTION
me

CHaRacr.mR
Whether loving, nurturing parents or distant airborne watchers, Scourges' fare has always been intimardyinvolvedwiththatofrheirhumancharges. The Asharu are the sweet breath of rhe morning breeze that lifts and invigorates. Yet, when tainted enough, the breeze carries bi tterness and ash as the Scourge can bear her pain no longer and descends into madness. This section offers suggestions for ereating unique and interesting Asharu who fir [he precepts and principles of the Second House,

me

While a subject is protected from harm by [hi ritual, he cannot be afflicted with any disea 'e, suffer any infections or be poisoned. The protection is unspecific and unalterable, so the subject cannot choose to voluntarily lift his resistance to a contaminating factor. for example, during the course of the protection, he cannot become drunk, as the ritual's lingering effects counteract the alcohol byproducts before they render him intoxicated. Players of demons and other creatures attempting to inflict supernatural diseases on the character may make a Willpower roll (or the equivalent for tha creature) with a difficulty of the Ankida's Willpower. Success indicates that the power takes effect, though the Inoculate effects may mirlgare the fO[eolgn power in some way

CONCEPT
Most Scourges are focused on one of several core motivations, described here. There are many other possible concepts for members of the Second House, but most belong to one of the following archetypes. Healer: The Breath ofUfe wa the purview f the Second Hou e and Scourges could never turn their backs on the helpless mortals ro whom they'd brought life. In the World of Darkness , these characters will never be idle, as the deadly plagues and horrific violence of the modem world wound more mortals than they can heal. An Asharu healer is usually compassionate and gentle, though an insensitive or hard streak allows him to act for someone's own good - whether that someone wishes it or not. Healers are drawn to possess mortals with the same prot ctive and nurturing urges- medical workers are the mo t common candidates, though Scourges are

me

at the Storyteller" discnetion. Note that thl ti tua] does not prevent a recipient from simple harm sustained through combat or care-

al

attracted to volunteer workers, schoolteachers

less mishap.
The version ef thls ritual affected y T rment make the reeipien immune to disbut turns [bern with whom they come. in contact. Roll the Ankida's Willpower [difficultv 7), resisted by the highe to he vienms' Willpower ratings. If the ritual rakes effect, each net success on the Ankida' roll Inflicts a level of ashing damage on everyone who camel into physical contact with the infected character. The-high- Torment version of thisritual ea e anti similar harm them elve

and even

loving parents.

Torment:

into "plague rats" who infect everyone

lasts for one week. Variation: Increasing-die Awakening level to • • • allows the proteC!!IDn [Q heal minor wounds [he beneflc.iar;ies sustain. Each subject can smug off <I number ofba5hlng or lethal health levels of damage
equal
[Q

ilie. Anklda'

. Faith score over the duration

of

the ritual's effects.

protective, parental impulses toward humanity often developed into a conviction that the demons knew what: was be t for their mortal charges, and many Scourges held humanirv to very high standards of behavior. In the modern world, many Scourges till feel that humans could do SQ much more with heir pc tential, and they are bitterly disappointed at the rna es who Let them down. These demons are drawn to human host who similarly expect bumanity to live by the codes they feel are important, and who seek 0 'remold mankind in a better, brighter irnag .. A Scourge with his mindset rnight gravi tate to such mortal hosts as] udges, lawmakers, morals campaigners, political activists and vigilantes. Scout: The vision of [he Second House stretched for leagues, and me wife and observant Asharu were alway in demand as cours, pie and

Judge: The Asharu's

5(i

information-gatherers. Tho e Scourges who loved this work often love it still, and they are happiest when they're well informed. Demons with these aptitudes often choose mortal hosts with a similar love of knowledge and data. A scout might find herself possessing spies, data analysts, hackers or anyone else with a yearning for knowledge and the freedom to acquire it in their own way.

1'111'.1:\(1 '.1'1"10]'..'-'"1'0 TI1t. HOLt. The Asharu were crcarcd (u nurture and protect, ,111d these fundnrncnml impulses often drive them toward morral husts who uccd the
chllnsill.L!

exacting standards and pushing them as hard a possib le - w he ther hu maul ty wishes (0 be pus h ed or not. Those who have lost hope and despair of the world sometimes became Monsters. A number of Scourges still focus on the status of the Asharu as the Second House of angels, and they often have Traditionalist Natures that reflect the importance of status ill their lives. Most Scourges are individualistic rather than focused on organizations, however, and Loners, Rebels and Rogues are more common.

an

healing and love rhev have III ()ff(·r. Instead of ,I morral hasl'd on how f'Hn il inr (he host's menta Ii tv is, 111,111)' ';lll't hl"arll',i Sconrges

are drawn to their Iwsb hy the mortal's need of I hem. In particular. rhc healer Ivpc is 11ften ,lraWl1l11 (l'adlll and m."l'dy mortal» ... spl'f<ltt: Cur k prorcctinn, and lU\1 late rhe Scourge finds himse lt in (he boJ)' uf ~l hvpuc houdriac or stlf-absorhl'J coward. This approach (1!~~1 means
[11.,11

Few Scourges have Bon Vivant, Bravo, Child, Conformist, Conniver, Thrill-Seeker or Trickster Natures. The hedonism of some of these lifestyles ami the thoughtless carelessness of others does not suit driven Asharu who were always made for devorion to a cause - whatever that cause might be.

me

these A~11<Inl :Irl' ln.n h

LU

discard the IUI-

man elements (II' their new selves, because {he SC(lur1L1' is not t he same as the human. The demon I::.attructcd III rhc mortal as .1 complemem, nUL ,\ replacement. In ndditinn, t hc Ash;Ull l,f nld were the Angels olthc Winds nn ..1 the Firmament. ~IClny Scourges - part icula rlv t hose ott hc Ell i I visagl' -me sirup] y ..lruwn tl I mortals with ,HllWl'fl'llWcriru; love or !lying and the open skies. SlIch hosts are lIsually pilots, sometimes astrunnuts or aeronautic scientists, hut they can simply he disappoi nred pl'llpll.' wi th f<li led arnbi nuns for [he skies.

The Demeanors of rnanv Scourges are relatively similar to their Natures, as few have an interest in the kind of decep tion and secretiveness implicit in hiding their true selves from the world. This is particularly true of the more compassionate Asharu, who are loath to put artificia] obstacles between themselves and their beloved children. The more reflective and cautious of the.Asharu, such as those embodied by the scout concept, ofcen have a stronger fa~ade" This might be an unconscio us result of their objective and di 'passionate observations; or iII: might be a deliberate attempt to keep the secrets tbey learn dose to their chest'. Finally, the Scourges who are unstable -and disoriented as they learn about the modem world are often off balance enough that their behavior ls llttle indication of their trueN1lrure.

PRJ11]\p&rLolre
Although ~evisage and primary lore of the character are cho en, near the end of character creation, they're inti arelv connected With your character's focu and personality, Consider he likely lore choices for your character as you d sign h is concept, Nature and Demeanor, and while you make choices about other traits. An. angel' pri,.. mary lore was his "profession," and he will almost certainly have skills and aptitudes related to his role as a part of Creation. Lore of Awakening: Tlais is the [are ofhea.ling and the Breath oflife.1niffectsmorta±s-cancil demons equally, and its lower-levelevoeation are invaluable fOi'\tiolent and cornbar-interu ive groups who cannot afford to be put out of action for long. It's well sulted for characters in supportive roles, and it i me obvious choice for healers, The Visage of Aw,.ikening does r physical bonuses and improved Stealthcapabiliti s,which might

&TURE7\ND D'Ef1Ei\NOR
Those Scourges wh are focused on their gift f life usually have N ture uch as Caregiver, Gallant, Martyr or Pedagogue - they are beings driven to provide care and succor to others without rhought:for themselves. Those who have followed this pam and been wounded by it often have Natures such as Addict, Deviant, Fanaric, Gambler or Masochist as they lose themselves in [he experiences of Life to avoid having to think about it. Natures such as Architect" Autocrat, Curmudgeon, Dir,ector, Judge, Perfectionist and Visionary are more appropriate for the more h.arderred Scourges who feel compelled La realize humani y's potential by measuring them against

com

57

appeal [0 scouts. At higher levels, it allows for the creation of "unnatural" life, and the high-Torm.enc effects of the evocations inf ict corruption and disease. Scourges who ha vechosen the pam of the judge might find It appropriate if their punishments are intended to be particularly cruel, Lore of the Firmament: The evocations of this lore are focused on power at a distance - they are optimized for effective spying and at higher levels (hey allow the character [Q use the if other powers a e greater distances [han usual. The Anshar visage improves sensory and evasive abilities, although there are no improvements to interacting with others in combat or social situations. The Lore of the Finnarnent is ideal for scouts; judges can find ir useful for information-gathering purposes, but healers may be dismayed by the detachment from other people ir implies. Lore of the Winds: Th is is ane lemental power of air and storms, the most v iolent of the Scourge's lore. Like most Asharu evocations, the powers of the LOTe of the Winds will work on mortals and demons alike, and they can be used to very destructive ends. Combat-oriented Scourges might find this the most effective primary lore, particularly those who don't wish to use the high-Torment Awakening evocations. The EUil visage improves sensory and athletic

abi lities, The lore of the Winds has little relevance to healers. Scours might appreciate the powers of the visage, but the lore as a whole is most useful for judges who wish to caU dlown the punitive fury of the heavens upon those they've deemed unworthy.

1\TTRI5UTE5
The Scourges have a relatively wide variety of stereotypes, and unlike some other Houses, there are
no obvious choices when allocating Ami bute priorities. That said, consider these few general rules when determining an Asharu character's Attributes.

PrnSlCt\L
The Physical Attributes are important for the Angels ofUfe, representing vi rality and wholeness as they do. Stamina is the most important of the three, as it covers the bodily health integral to the concept of healing. It's vital for Scourges of the Ell ll and Dagan visages, as i[ forms the core of most

of their evocations.
Healers should have high Stamina, if not other Physical Attributes, to avoid the refrain of "physician, heal thyselL" Scouts are likely to be relatively physically active and should put Physical Attributes as their second prionry tf not [heir first, 50 [hey can meet the demands of their roles. Judges. might choose to favor other Attributes over the physical, if they

intend to exact their requirements without direcr combat and violence. fu the judges' choice of primary lore is less clear-cut than for healers or scouts, they might wish [:0 focus only 0111. Physical Attributes if they've chosen the Lore of the Winds as their primary lore.

you allocate points into each trait. As for [he apritudes of the Asharu as a House, they're spread fairly evenly across the AbiHry groups. The focus depends on the character's visage.

,sO([?\L
Social Attributes are less important [0 a Scourge than to a Devil or Defiler, but few Scourges wish to dissociate themselves from society completely. Healers should put Social Attributes as their secondary priority, i.f not their primary, to reflect their long years of interacting with mortals, a good bedside manner or any number of other soorhtng characteristics for which the Asharu were always known. In this case, Cha risrna is the most accurate reflection of their gifts. Scouts are the' most detached of the Scourges, so they might prefer to excel in other Attributes. Judges should at least have high Ma-

'1"'l\LI::NT5 Unlike other Houses, who just excel ar things that everyone can do to some extent, the Scourges
tend [0 focus on doing what no one else can. As >lI. result, most have little need for focusing on their

Talents. alrbough some are essential. Demons of the Ansharvisage might wish to make Talents the first priority of their Abilities, as all of their primary lore's evocations use Talents. High
ratings in Empathy and Awareness are invaluable for using (be Lore of the Firmament for gathering infermarion, while a:ffecting thralls at a distance is based on Leadership. The other Asharu v isages do not focus on Talents at all. The more physical of the scouts should allocate good ratings [Q Alertness. Athletics; Awareness and Dodge, and Streerwise is useful for all. scouts. Some healers mi_ghl: wish [0 follow suit, if their characters have combat experience. Many military medics, Red Cross workers and similar healers have their work em out for them just staying alive, and Talents are. in valuable in the process.

nipulation scores if [hey hope to shape humanity's course by any means except punishment. Social Attributes are paramount for demons of the Anshar visage; many of their higher-rated evocations depend on Man ipulation. TIle other A nributes are best" allocated [0 suit the. character's individual personafitv, with reference [Q his Nature.

fuflThL
Mental Attributes are of varying importance to Scourges. Healers tend to be less cerebral than their fellows, bur Mental Attributes are very important for scouts. Those who do their inrelligence-gathering up close and personal will need high Wits scores to negotiate the treacherous reefs of modem spy-craft; and all scouts rely on excellent Perception. Judges of a contemplative and philosophical nature might have developed a high Intelligence as they've pondered [he state of the world, wh He judges who've chosen their path through sheer spiritual despair and anger might dispense with intellectual pursuits altogether, OF the three Mem81 Attributes, none are of overriding importance. Several of the Ansharvtsage's evocations rely on Perception, however, so of the three Attributes, Scourges of the Firrnamenr should focus on. Perception. The other visages can choose where they may, as Mental Attributes are not essenrial to the ir lore, and they might wish to make Mental A ttrtbu zes their lowest priority.

5T~LS
Ski lls are the most llsefulofrhe.Abilitygl"oups 1:0 [he' Asharu as a whole. They provide combat effectiveness in the form of Melee and Firearms SkiUs, and specialized Sk\lls slUch:as Stealth are essential for SCOUltS. Modem-day scams should also take high ratings In Securirv and Technology to represent mastery over the modem world's [Dais of informacion -gathering, Survival is ~iiaf for demons of the Ellil visage. Every single evocation of the Lore-of the Winds uses that Skill, and Rltil demons should take as h.igh a rating as they can justify for theircharacter. It's also useful for any other Asharu who might find themselves without the comforts of horne, such as the aforementioned combat medics ~pies.

me

Of the other Skills, Crafts is used by one, eyocarion of [he Dagan visage, but most are less use fut to the Asharu.

,ano

KNOW LEDGM
Many Asharu are not particularly learned, but one Know ledge stands out - Medicine. Healers, and: demons of the Dagan visage in general, should have excellent ratings in Medicine. Three Lore of Awakening evocations are based on it, and! ir. reflects the

l\.BILITIE5

to

Your character's Abilities are often augmented by the mortal host's life before [hem, so give thought where you r character's Abili ties have come from as

5f)

general focus: on

health and healing that is 50 stereotypical otthe ASfu'lI"U as a whole. Most Asharu, except me most detached of the scours, win have at least

for Conscience.

[heir nature and their desire eyed and dlspasstonare

[0 help at any OOS[. Scouts tend to be less emotional and more dear-

II: exemp llfies the compassion of

passing familiadty with medicine. Even jud!:ll;:~who use the ir powers to poison rather than heal must know what tney're poisoning.

[han healers.

Their Virtues

are more evenly balanced, although

the risky and

Several other Knowledges areparticularly useful

for scouts who do t:heir informatiou-gathenng 1'1.[ a distance. Computer Knowledge is vital in [he modern world of intelligence, and the Invesugation and Research Knowledges cover 3. lot of what modern-day scoursdc. High ratings in these Knowledges should be ubiquitous for scout Scourges. Knowledge such as Academics, Research and Science - and perhaps even Occult - are appropriate for scouts who were once morral researchers obsessed with knowledge. judges are 1t:S~ concerned with Knowledge», 011theugh those who seek to work within system to

solitary nature of their role as,spies and intelligencegatherers often indicates a hlg11 rating in Courage. usuallv have fairly low Conscience ratings, In many ways they are the antithesis ofrhe healers that most of them used to be. Courage ratings can vary, and it's not uncommon to see a strongCourage rating reflectmg' [he character's willingness to pur himselfon the line for his convictions.

Judges are focused primanly on Conviction and

LoRE

change the world often choose solid ratings in Law

and Politics.

me

By thiastage of character generation

you've: proh-

l)J\CXGI10UNDS
All of the available Backgrounds can be helpful and 'relevant fOT Asharu characters. Many are tied to the Iife of the. morral host before possessicn, and there are several that are particularly appropriate for Scourges. Healers tend to be relatively self-sufflclenc and often don't need rhe extensive web of connections
that I'::Imer eharactersrely upon. Allies and Contacts
can sdllbe useful <15 morral resources to draw upon in carrying aUl: charncrer'shealiIl,g mission. Pacts are very common. The Scourge's heallng gifts draw eager [lfl9ITalsto supply Faith.

abLy decided the character's primary lore, but. you stlll have to decide how far your characrer will speclelize inir and which other lore to take - rr any. Some concepts will wam to devote all their starting dors of tore [0 one path; others might find caking an. evocation from another lore useful in supporting their

character's abilities ...

Lone or ?\'Wl\J<;ENlNG
This is the quintessentiai lore for healers, and any

hea lercharacrers of [he Dagan v isage should allocate

aU three dots to it at character creation. Wimout the

will flnd it hard

Heal evocation

that the

third. dar provides, a healer

me

essenna Ifor a healer, but it's the first evocation of rhe

tore, and the Cleanse evocation at second dot is 1'1 useful supplement to the character's abilities as fI medic. lrnproving the rating to four dots isn't neces-

to do his job, Find the

Faichful

is nor

me

SCOuts find inforraatlou resources invaluable, and Coneacrs is probably I:nglem.lit useful Backfor tbe:~e characters, InflueRtle-'m'e all also useful

far ext.e.ndmg a network of inteUigel:lc:e.-g·theting in the mo~ral world. judges find a variety of Backgrounds helpful; dependmgen the way they choose to act. Those who

ground

me-

sary as Animate is our of sync with the stereotvpical

healer concept, and it would use mostcf character's freebtes that could be better spen elsewhere,
SCOll tsmight fLnd ODe dot in Lore of l\ wakening useful, for the detective properties hnplicit in. Find [he Faithful, hut it's probably not worth their while taking it any further than that during character erearion and the early stages ofcharacter development .

Allies. Followers

and

me

a~t..as rogue. vlgilantes find! Resources useful S.Q they .can 1Il8Lmctin an independent lifestyle. Contacts and Fot1owerc,S.are also common, although [he harsh and critic.al Judges rarely form ponds strong enough to justify Allies. POrthe s ingle-min.ded.crusaders among

Judges might choose co focus

Awakenings

QO

if they'vechosen

the Lore of

focus

me judges, Paragon mignr. ref1.ect an aspect of their

and

d.Hve.

\7IRT~
Asharu strong

Here, the differehce between the stereotypes of is made most plain. Healers tend [Q have: ratings uutl [he Virtues and exemplary ra rings

path of vengeance. the lore would be appropriate, to gain access to the high-Toemene effectsoiflleanse, which con ram inate with disease. An addirional dot for the Heal evocanon markedly increases the character's effecrlveness, giving him rhe ablliryte ll.eal~and polson-c-ss well as affecting diseases. 1't'S not essential, though. Characters who follow tlus path, however, risk BCqU iring a

the poisonous, toxic In that case, at least two dots in

()O

CUAI'1'I:1it TIII()

lot of Torment falrly quickly, which makes it a risky proposition as a primary lore.

points

EO ger a second dot in the Lore of the Fundamem provides Manipulate Adhesion, which is very

LoRE'.OrTI1ErlI\~rIT
This lore is the obvious choice for scours among the Asharu, and! they should put at leasttwo dots into it. Remote Viewing and Scry form the core of the scout's arsenal of evocacions, although the higherrated evocations in the lore focUls on using demonic powers at a distance and are, therefore, less relevant
[0

useful for stealthy

spies.

an information-gatherer. The Lore of the Firmament is less vital for SOOLI rges

with other priorities, however. A dot in it, for Remote Viewing, can be very useful for judges who understand the value of vision, but most can flnd more important places to spend their dOES. 1I'HE {}JINDS The Ellil visage is most appropriate for judges who wish to direct the storm's fury at the unworthy, and they should put at least two dots into tr. Doing so win provide Summon Wind, which ls Llseful for rnobilirv - especially in the apocalyptic form, With wings - and Fist of Air for direct damage in violent situations, Spending another dot fm Command the Wind improves the character's mobility further and pu ts him in a good position to move on [Q Wall of Ai r and Cyclone later in the chronicle. This is not essential, however, and judges might find the points better spent elsewhere. Scouts may also choose to put a dot into the Lore of the Winds, simply for the mobility advantage that Summon Wind can provide. Most of the later evocarions are less useful [Q them, however, although Command the Wind at three dots extends the advantage provided by Summon Wind. TIlLS level of mastery of the lore is better left for later in the chronicle, however, when the character's rating in his primary lore is more impressive. Healers, by contrast, find little utility in the Lore of the Winds and are better served by allocating their dots of lore [0 other evocations.

Alternatively, scouts may find it useful to put a dot into the Lore of Humanity for the Translate evocation. The easy comprehension of any language is in valuable. and probably more useful to more sedentary scouts than the Lore of the Fundament. Judges m igot find a dot in the Lore of the Fundament useful for Manipulate Gravity; particularly in conjunction with Summon Wind or Command the Wind, btu in general. judges and healers are better served by specializing in their primary lore.

rREE5IEPOINTS
The Asharu Lore paths don't require expenditure of Fa ith points until higher levels ,.so improv ing Faith atcharacter creation isn't essential. It does affect [he range and duration ora number of evocations, mostly from the Lore of the Firmament, so of all the Asharu, the Anshar visage is the best suited for improving Faithas a starting character. Ir's worth improving Faith by a point or so if you expect a lot of combat, bUE most Asharu are not corubat-intensive characters, so they are better served by saving the points for other uses. Since WiUpQwerhas. no lnvolvemenrwith hardly any of Asharu evocations, and since demonsare automatic successes on ordinary actions. Mas [A:l?haru don't need a significantly improved WiUpower, although combat-oriented] udges will ga in some benef~t. Scouts might a180 find it useful for improving [he Ability rolls for: g-aIDeri1\§ information, since Asharn can't manipu~ate mortal mjnds and souls with their House [ore [he way othtI~ell1ons can, Healers an(ll SCOl1[S might wish to spend spare' freebie points on improving their Virtue ratings, since both stereotjpes often have higb overall Virrues. Judges can avoid this, since they often have a notable weak point when ir comes to Eorncience.

Lonzor

immune

me

to mind

centro I, Willp-oweTIs most useful for

(Of\/10rq LORE
The Lore of [he Fundament is useful for almost every character, but particularly so for scouts, who find the advantages of Manipulate Gravity and Manipulate Adhesion undeniable. A scout who has put two dots into the Lore of the Firmament is wise to put his third dot into the Lore of the Fundament, with an eye to improving the rating in it once his primary lore improves as well. Spending freebie

Healer Scourges shou Id focus 01) ilnprov ingtb:eir Medicine, Stamina and Charisma. Scours ace best served by improving Perception, Empathy ami various Knowledges, although spare ffieebie pohus are invajuahle for extra dots LO the Lore [be Futl(l.a~ ment or HumanIty. judg'esnave a variety of aptitudes and might wish. tsp,entl the ff~ebie pelrus 0 impro ing combat ability, since they ate 'usually !the most combat-oriented of the Ashasu,

or

61

FUZ01l,

on a dwrio:t iron~wing'd,

On spiked flames rose; his hor visage Flam".d fUrious: sparHes his hair and beard Shot down his wide bosom aM shoulders. On douds of smoke rages his chariot, And his right hand bums red in its cloud, Moulding inw a vast Globe his tvrath, As the thun&r~stone Is-moulded, Son of Uriz.en' 5 silent .burnings .. -WiUiam Blake, The Hook of_Aha.nia.
In (he long project
ing,
[0

to

create something rrom noth-

Creator to continue HiE tyrannical rule. Fair love of

build a universe fram the absolute eamriness of

the void, the Creator knew He needed a reality of more chan just emotion and spirit. He needed sp~ce and dimension to build upon, solid matter to form Creation on that platform and physical laws to govern it. He needed Creation to be 'Inar.erial, .50 He created the Artificers, angels of substance and form, raw stone and dancing electrons, to bring His grand plan into reality.

humanity the Artificers fell and became Malefactors, celesrialcarninakand outlawsfor [he hu mans they adored. But the Annuaaktlearned that rebellion - for.saking the Loveof God Himself- w~tillno1: enough to gain the love of humanity. They were still doomed worship of humanity ~ but not its love. So the Malefaensrs rette.ated [0 tlie things they understcod->stone and metal, tool and Wc;:3 on. The best of them dedicated themselves to serving humanity from afar
with their inventions,
to remain apart from monflls,. always distant U!ITor and auchority ..They had the respect,

,gures of

even the

But the Artificers failed Him, as did all the other angels ofCreatioil, by being too dedicated and too loyalby caring roo much about the universe they had constructed and the humans that they had crafted, to allow the

nurturing thel:r:lJl'l.re~:tu-ited love

and forever working to raise humanity to their own level, [Q become the equals of mortals and not their betters. Others drowned in their own bitterness and hate.the pain of rejection poisoning their souls with spite. They crafted machines of torture and pain, tools to degrade and destroy the blessed potential of humanity in an act of pathetic revenge. Both camps let their obsession with humanity define their actions, blinding them to other issues - and hlinded, they fell to the force of Heaven's.wtath and were cast into the Pit. Nowthe Annunaki have returned 1:0 a Creation of rust and decay, a broken mechanism that cries out [0 be repaired. The: tyrant God is gone, His enforcer angels with Him. All the obstacles are cleared away, and! the opportunity to repair Creation is finally here. The crippled wreckage of Crear ion is a terrible burning pain in the soul of every Malefactor, bu t the vision of a new tomorrow, a new and perfect work of art, soothes that pain and drives [he Annunakr to new goals ..For some, it is the elevation ofbumanity to the status of godhood, the potential that has always cried out to be realized. For others, it is the chance to shape reality into what it always shouM have been, a perfect engine that exists to sing hosannas [0 the builders and artisans of Creation. They will rework this realiry no matter what it takes ..TIley are the Annunaki, and they can do no less.

TMEfrnST 5TONE

15 LAID

As HLS first angels, God created the House of the Dawn and the House of [he Firmament, angels of spirit and word. He knew, though, mat spirit and idea would only go so far. Such things were necessary to design Creation, but not sufficient to build Creation. So as His Third House of Elohirn, He created the Artificers, the Angels of the Fundament - angels of matter and substance, atoms and stone. To the Artiflcers, the Creator said, "Of all My servants, yours is the most important task. For nothing can be made without something to build widl; no spirit can underpin'Creanon tfncsubsrance exists [0 surround it. To vou.rhe Artificers, falls the duty of creating a place in which Crear ion coo be built, and the substance from which to build it. Go now, and spin substance from the absence oftbe void. Go now and fashion existence itself." The Artificers gathered, beingsof smooth darkness

and immense so tidity, so unlike thespirirual evanescence that were the other Elohim, ..and they bent themselves to this task. For an eternity, they mined substance from the

BBForus ·nw

FaLL

In the beginning; there was not nothing. Nothing is the opposite of something; nothing is an absence that impl ies a presence. The void was not; no thing; the void simply wasn't. Agams; the utter negation of the void was balanced theinfinite power ,and potential ofGod, expressed, if that power could not fiad subscanceand existence. That could not happen withinthe.absence of the void, so God needed to bring Creation into being, if only so mat He could actually exisr H ifuself. To create all of reality, God needed agents to do His bi.ddingand §hape Creation from d1le edges ofrhe void, tools of spirit and power that could craft a universe without overwhelming it with His direct tiny fragments of His own power given minds and wills of their own; creatures that channeled the least pan: of His strengtb 1'.0 create, but not destroy. The angels were being~. of spirit, not £I.~h, light not substance - bue SOOllI they would need substance to shape Creation" and such required the.strength of the Artiiicer-a,. who could mold nothingness into the building blocks of Creation.

but that power meant ll(}[hililg if ir, could not be

power. Therefore, He created the angels, the Elohira,

Abyss, bending and molding this total absence into matrer-s-or rather, the notion of matter, the very idea of substance and solidity. Through their efforts, a point of inflnitelv dense matter accrued before the Creator, a ball of absolute substance and definition, in which all possibilities and potential existed. Then the Creator said, "You have begun this great work, bur it is not yet dom'!. For while this creation of yours eoneains aU potential, it cannot be realized while It exists here with Me.l t must exist separately from Me, and you rnustcreate a place fOort (Q exist." i Therefore, the Artificers gathered again and workedfor another eternity, while the massed choirs of the-Elohirn watched and waited for their opportuniryto join in the great work. The Artificers ventured again into the void and surrounded part of it with their own spirits, and made it from. a total absence inro a SI mple nothingness - not an absolute negation of existence, but a mere lack af substance. The Artificers gave this boundary length, breadth and volume, and iliey called it .space - the boundaryofexistence, a zone in which the very concept of existence could flnallv be expressed. Into [his space they brought matter, that infinitely dense point of being they had crafted over aeons - and it exploded, bursting open (Q fill the entire boundary wid. an even layer of matter. Atoms of hydrogen and motes of elemental substance were spread over space, an infinite expense of potential waiting to be explored. And the Artificers reached out and brought two Single atoms together into first molecule, the first stone, the harbinger of the rich and complex Creation that waited to be brought intoexistence. Thus the process began.

we

6·4,

CIHlYI'£lI TIIHEE

CnE.i\TI

<12\ Urrr\7En

:e

Creation remained unformed, still a vas cloud of undifferentiated atoms and potential. Now was the time to rake this. matter and make something with it. Now lt was rime to bring out that limitless potential and put ix into concrete ~ rrn, The Artificers immersed them 'elves in the stuff ofCreat:ion. molding atoms and planets, stones and gases; space and physics to create new and impossibly beautiful works. To keep weir new creations together, they needed 'to develop and codify phy leal rules - graviry, acceleration, cohesion and attraction - which led to rhe construction of the law of phy ics. To achieve their ends, the Artificers rnanipulared these laws at will through their intuitive can trol of the fundamental forces of Creation. Knowing that the other Elohim would also need to use these forces to perform their tasks, they taught thi Lore of the Fundamen to all the Houses of Heaven. Aeons wore on, and the Artificers worked their miracles upon the fabric. of Creation, building stars, then planets, then moons from drifting matter. Working in unison, the ranks of the Artificers pulled matter together to form a planer of molten rock and noble gases, a world of searing beauty to beat as Creation' heart. The mas ed choir of Heaven celebrated and said, "Now we shall bring our kills to bear on this world, this Paradise." And the Artificer replied, "Please, not yet. Give us m re time to make it better, to perfect i and bring our its potential." So the Elohim drew back, and the Artificers continued to work on Paradise, They cooled the molten lava into stone, and pulverized me clay to create rich and fertile soil. They wove a layer of magnetic fields around the plane to dissipate the sunlight, and carved sea beds and dry rivers intra Earth's crust, t\Qd again Elohim celebrated and said , "It is even more beautiful than it was before! Now we shall work our powers upon Paradise and l rearhe life into it. n But again the Artificers said, 'Not yet. More can still be done." And! the increasingly impatientfilohim waited, while the Artificers continued theu work. They spun 'the planet' heart into fiery life and let it heat and flex through tectonic plate and volcanoes. They compres ed raw tone into diamonds and crystals, and they seeded the earth withgems of impossible beauty. They pinched mountains from [he soil to touch the clouds and valley that reached deep to touch the world' liquid core. They smoothed out deserts flat and clean, and they inlaid rhe sea bed with irregularities that pelt out hosannas ro the Creator. And the Elohimsatd, "Now it is complete, and we rnu t begin our work." And once more the Artificers begged for more time, rn re chance to perfect their work and bring our the planet'S potential. But Lucifer

himself denied them '<lying, "This is ufficient, and more than sufficient. If allowed, you would spend an eternity on this task, hunting a perfection that only you feel to be necessary. What you have aCCOIDpi ished is already perfect. Now allow the rest of us to perform out work." And so the Artificers stood aside and watched as the Host descended to Creation to carry our their tasks. Yet while they were proud of what they had wrought and were eager to see what the other Elohim could work on the canvas rhey had created, still a germ of pam and dissatisfaction remained in their souls. For all eternity, Artificers would feel that Paradise was not truly complete, that a more perfect Creation could have been built if they had but been allowed. Though none would ever admit it, they aU felt a miniscule flame of resentment toward the Lighthringer for keeping them from finishing (heir work.

'me

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euNC.SS]\!'ID

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Of all Elohim, the Artificers were me ones most involve with the actual building of Creation. This wa because they, unlike all of the other angels, were concerned with onlv the material and the concrete, not the spiritual and ethereal. The other Houses devoted at least some of their attentions to developing the spiritual aspects of Creation, crafting he pirits [nat would inhabit bodies, of flesh and matter within the universe that was being built. Some, like the Angels of the Second World, concerned themselves solely with the spiritual; others, such as Angels of the WUd, focused on both the material and the pirimal. Bu t for [he Art ificers, the material was everythin C1 an all chat concerned [hem. While they did sp ak with [he pirirs ef the stone and earth, of electron and molecule, they did n t crea~ those spirits. They simply

me

Losr LoVE

me

allowed them to torm narurally around the material. While the ther Elohim w rked Inthe plrituai realms, roe ethereal layers of realltv, the Artificers stayed in material realm. to fashion the ruff of
Creatlon.

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More and morev thev found rhemselve

separated from the other angels, who focused their attentions on.thespiritual. TI1.eArtificer found themselves left in !:he company of each t1er and f the earth and stone that they shaped. The House became increasingly insular, turning upon itself. The Artificers became private and withdrawn, talking mostly to each other and rarely communicating with the other ang Is. They still worked with the [her Elohim, of coursegluing together hydrogen and oxyg~l1[0 provide the Angels of the Deep with oceans and rivers, or shaping bodies of day to be quickened into 'ving flesh by me Angels of the Wild -but when those apge1s turned their attentions away, the Artificer returned to their

own kind. The Angels of the Fundament became private, quiet creatures who kept their ernoti n co themselves. But when God commanded the creation of humanity, everything changed. The angels, of every House came together to work on this ultimate expresi n of the Divine Plan. To the Artificers feU the re ponsi.bi.lity of crafting the human form; of shaping day into 31 body, of mapping out the surfaces of the brain and the twist of the: centra] nervous system. The Artificers gave [heir all to the project, building what they hoped would be an o:bject, 3 body, of utter perfection. Then, though God and the Elnhlm Once aga in had to rein in their urge to keep working onrthe project in finer and finer derail, the Artificers were satisfied that they had done a worthy job of uilding h 1I i.ng fI r God' divine power. But even the Artificers, perfectionist and idealists all, were taken a back by the glory and splendor of hu manirv, of j Wit how perfect thefj rst man and woman were. The Artificers looked upon the two humansthe ultimate marriageof j)hysical spiritual and divine perfection - and saw the incredible potential that these creatures possessed, the power to take Creation beyond the limits of what irs angelic makers had conceived to be J;lossibIe. In that moment, the insular Artificers were filled with a boundles love for humanlrv, a desire to [each and as ist the e being ill

every way possible, to take [hem by the hand and Ie.ad them to absolute perfection. And then God handed down His edict, that the Elohim could not reveal themselves to humanity or do anything to open their minds and souls to Crearion. And something vital inside the Artificers died, never to rise again.

Ali of the E~ohim were hurt and confused by the Creator's rule of separation, but Artificers were more deeply affected than the others. The Angel of the Material were already lonely, unable to truly relate [Q their own kind. Thev could find companionship and understanding only from other Artificers and from the stone they shaped. Already separated from the other Elohlm, the Artificers had a. vast store of untapped love and motion withi:n them, a love thatwas [Q have been lavished upon humanirv vet now would forever be unrequited. God's edict left the Artificers confused and hurt -and worse,left their love for the Creator damaged and weakened. In the s uls of many Artificers, respect became tainted with re entment, Confu ion

Doursr N'tD D eo ~IOl"I

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turned into a pain iliac could not be expressed.

Then the angel.A.hrimal had a vision of a great darkness somewhere in mankind's future, a coming disaster that might till be averted if the angels broke God's edict and touched the lives f humanity. No member of the House ofthe Fundament participated

66

CUIPfEll1'nrm.:

iII the Great Debate that followed that vision, the argurnen (among the grear leaders of the Elohim as to what should be done ~ but they listened ana wept
pain of rejection in their souls, all of them felt the compelling need to nurture and teach humanity, to allow them to reach their true potential. Bur at the

THr,LoNGE5T JNIGIiT
FollOWing in. Lucifer's footsteps, T oguieland the other renegade Artificers had revealed themselves to humanity and helped open their eyes. to their own potential and the potential of Creation, Now it was rime to prepare and teach humanity, in a single night that lasted a thousand years - before the orces of Heaven came to punish the rebels for the crime of loving ton much,

and argued among themselves. AH of them felt the

same rime, all of them felt thei r own love of God, no

matter how weakened it might have become, and knew the terrible impossibility of rejecting [he orders of He who created them,

THE fm,,)T TOOL

Before the Fall, the angels had no need of 1:0015. They seemed to use tools, true ~ Usiel's scythe and M ichae l's sword were but two of [he legendary artifacts wielded byrne Elohim, but these creations were not true tools, not devices constructed and built by a maker's hand. They were simply extensions of an angel's will, an external manifestation of his own abilities and powers, Michael's sword was not something forg,ed from metal It was pan of him that had been by his side since God had willed him into existence, And while ir could exist apart from hlm, given permanence by the will of the Creator, ir was not something built or invented, nor a true tool,

the end. if was Toguiel, the Ruby Dominion, who ended the secret debate of the Artificers, his
In words cascading through the earth as
81

vein of pre-

cious red stones, "When the Creator fashioned us from his own soul, He told us to build and to work
reward making a Paradise that was perfect in all respects, If we do not act now and take humanity in hand, they will never become perfect. and we will have failed to follow the Creator's decree. It is our duty to teach and guide humanity, to let [hem fulfill their destiny ~ and if that requires us to defy God's edict, [hen by God's command we must do so."

And with those words, T oguiel unfurled his wings of rubies and silver and flew co join Lucifer and his fellows, Behind him followed just over half of the

Artificers, the love in thetrsouls too strong to deny any longer, TIle rebe IArtificers turned against the Creator and the Hose of Heaven, and for chis crime ~ for the

TfmHousB aT WaR
and

elevation of need over duty ~ were condemn~d case down, labeled forever as the Annunakl.

and

The renegades of the Host had turned against God Heaven, and Creation would never be the same. The rebellious Artificers had rurned the rejecrionthev had felt upon their maker, and rejected Htm and His decree. It was the dawn of a new era, a time when the Annunaki would attempt to unlock the potential of humani ry, [Q perfect the mortal race as if it were a stone
that could be carved lntoa perfect tool or work of art. 111e renegade builders saw Creation and humanity as works in progress and attempted to bring those works (0 fruttion, butthev succeeded only in delaying humanity's development by aeons, and pethapseven preventing it entirely, TIle Age of Wrath was a time of

Tin. P)n01.;e:"! ':){V0nl) Fragments d IIAicl1,le1';;SIVNJ still exist, :IS Jo H small number of other <lngdic "tools" and items, These arrihrcrs wuuld have vanished with the Elohim and rhe Creator long ago, if it" were nor !~lr tbe fa.ith and helief ufhumanily, St'parated (rnm the Ivil! of (JoJ and their "owners,' these nearrelics, pieces of an angel made sllliJ, are kept 5,11 id by human faith, But human (~ith is nuid and changeable, ;mJ many 11f these original angelic relicshave ch,lI1geJ as well, while those artifact" made by demonic h.mds have smyed much <IS they
were when first created.
The fU"sttrul': tool was, instead, created in the first ti:mt mfllennia-Icng night. Not wishing to return to the bower given to them by the Creator to sleep, Adam and Eve needed new shelter, Toguiel announced he would builda shelter for them, mold a house (TOrn the earth itself, But Adam scayed the angel'shand and asked instead, "Please, let me create my own domicile, for my shelter should be my own responslbi Itty:" So T ogujsl, proud beyond words of Adam's desire to build and create, instead did no more than bring a number of stones to the earth's surfaceso that Adam could use them to build a hut,

hours

Qr

great invention and terrible disasters, of the discovery of amas ing wonders and the destruction of all hope.
And the Malefactors, the renegade bu ilders of Heaven, fought and studied and worked and died, until doors of Hell swung shut after them.

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shelter with only one stone tOC) heavy and embedded in the earth to move. T oguiel was ready to move it himself"

Adam managed

[Q

assemble the stones'lnOO

a crude

'67

bur again Adam asked tor the chance.to make h is Own

way ..Yet the stone was
stepped
too heavy

for h im [.0 move.

forward Nernere the lron Crafter> ShaperofOre, whodrew from the earth a simple length of mew. He

Then

ofT ears, the banners the five:legions were lifted, and the Annunakl flocked to each of them. Over the: coming years, the Malefactors would
playa part in the actions of all [he legions. They would also become humanity's greatest teachers and most depraved torturers. Each legi on has its legends of the Annunaki, and its stories of hope and terrorstories that continued [0 be told untilthe last Malefactor descended intothe depths of Hell.

ar

gave it to Adam and said, "This tool, though simple, will give you the aid you need. And though it is a gift of my
craft, the power it gives comes from you alone ,SOVOLI will srill be fLllflOiug vour own destiny." So Adam took the metal rod; <lindinserted it LInder [be large stone, and by pushing down on the other end, he forcedthesronefrom theearth, and rolled itinm place. So was created the first lever, the first toot, and with his gift; Nernere became the first toolmaker, (he first relicsmith, and his legacy lives on to thi.s dOll" As the night went on, Adam and Eve slept, while

THE AGE

or WOrmER.

theirchildren rnulriplied and multlplied again, mUng Paradise with their families. Nemere aru:I [he other
Artiflcers toiled on, creating new rools.new devices
rogive control of Creation into the hands of humantry. Some were simple dungs, applications of principles laid down when Creation was still young, such as the wheel, the pulley and the hammer. Others were more complex, intricate knotsof power designed by Nernere to manipulate the very building blocks of Creation. He and his fellows created wands that could split the earth asunder to reveal diamonds and iron, and orbs of crystal that co ntai necl.the secrets oHire and energy. Humanity embraced the sunpler tools but was as yet unable 1:0 take command of the greater tools the angels had invented, "Surely," said the re'bels,"we will have time yer to reach them of the wonders, and show them how to unlock these relics of power."
fat then the armies of the Lord descended upon the rebels and Lucifer was forced to defend human and rebel angel. alike against Michael's wrath. Then Carne Miehael's condemnation of the rebels, and God unleashed His anger upon Paradise, desttoving it utterly. Eden was no more, and the newly christened Sebetfii had to Lead humani~ from the. rubb le qlJiddy. Rejected now and forever by the one they had once served, the

As the other legions left the Valley of Tears, the Crimson Legion set upon itsmission to bring enlightenment and. perfection ro human beings, ro litt them up to [he heavens and give them "the bin:hri.glu God blld attempted to deny them. This was an ideal close to the souls of many Malefactors, and almost half of
the Annunaki Relicsmiths. Annunaki rel ics and flockedro lucifer's banner. Chief

among them was Nernere, now named

Lard of

He broughr with him many of his fellow. who had devoted themselves to creating tools for mankind's use. These demons would create wonders of unsurpassed glory in humani ty's service, but they would ·150 dri ve humanill' further away from their guardians and Sow the

seeds for the downfall of the Sebettu, Not all the Aanunaki joined the Crimson Legion"
though. Most, In fact. joined the Iron Legion, go vemed

actions of the Heavenly Host. These Malefactors took on [he responsibiftrv of being the shield of the rebelHan, standing in the way of Heaven's vengeance.

hy Dagon the: lmperaror, He 111ar: Withstands the: Lightning, in oidc'[ to defend humanity from me

DENJ1\L7\.:R]) Dl,sPEI'\,s!\L But in truth, there WaS no more lime,

Annunaki collected their new tools and followed Lucifer, ready to begin their teaching anew.
When the Sebetru reached the Valley of Tears, Lucifer called a halt and spoke to the demons gathered
to teach

before him. He called for anew beginning, and fonhe

Sebeuu his calleudproclalmed lnsreadthat humanity was to 00 conquered, not loved, Still others went their own way to learruncceof'Creerlon's secrets or to ponder their siruatlonand COI;n;eo their own, truth. Across the Valley t

jeered

demons, [hough, especially the bestial Abaddon, re-

lUlTnaniry irs

true

porenrlal,

Other

Others joined the Silver Legion, hoping to learn more abour the possibilities of Creation and potential of humanity. While the Annunaki had little ability to understandltumanemotion and activltv, the Malefactors of the. Silver Legion left that task to their allies, the Fiends and Defilers who dominated it. I nstead, they focused on interpreting the information that their fellows garnered: devising relics and experiments that might elevate human potential. They also set out [Q physicallyexplore Creation and discover 'What effects the destruction of Paradise had had on Ilealiry. Chief among the explorers was Befana, Sapphire Mistress of Distance, Lady of Seven Mil es, whose command of space itself was unparalleled. Only a few Malefactors joined the Ebon Legion, at first. The bulk of the House felt too much regard for

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humanity, even after the disaster of the Fal], to tum against it. Yet some, tom and hurt by God's L1ttN rejection, rejecredhurnanitv in turn. Only thus could they soothe their own pain, 'by projecting it onto the

mortals that they still lover]. These: few, emotionally wounded demons enlisted in Abaddon's EbonLegion

The relicsmiths of the other legions also crafted fantastic tools, mostly for their own use. The inven-

and lent their stony fists to the armies of the Rabisu and Asharu. A scam handful joined the Alabaster
Legion to pittheir skills and knowledge of the material against the problems of the spiritual and the safeguardingofhurnanirv's souls. These few Anmmaki would nonetheless make a major contribution toward humanity's defense, and one of their number would become one of the House's greatest monsters. BUILDING Throughout [he legions, the Annunaki spli t into two major groups, while a few stayed separate from their fellows to follow their own path. The stonesrmthsdevoted themselves to building cities, bastions and redoubts across Creation, shaping towers and citadels from the earth wi rh but a thought, The greatest of these fortresses was, of course, Genhinnom, the Black Ca rhedral-s- a citadel of such beauty and perfection that it took even Kishar and her stonesmiths centuries to finish its construction. Even from irs firstdesign, Genhinnorn was perfection manifest in obsidian, the ultimate work of architecture, and a place holy to all Annunaki, Even those Malefacrozs that defied Lucifer and actively fought h is legion stilt revered artistry of the Black Cathe-

tors of the Ebon Legion created weapons+- although, before the Time of Atrocities, such relics did little
more than emphasize the skins and abilities of the relics for use in defense. The relicsmirhs of the Silver Legion created engines of calculation [0 help them understand humanity's potential, as well as methods of transport and exploration [0 assist those pushing back Creation's boundaries. In the Alabaster Legion, the Annuna.ki inventors worked hand in hand with the Slayers to develop relics

wielder ~ while [he Iron Legion produced

similar

1\ 'T'[f"EOF

that could protect human souls from oblivion or hollow

out the substance of the spirit realms to create a hiding space.. The process was. slow and difficult, for the

Annunaki

had only me vaguest knowledge of the spirit

and the worlds beyond the material, while their Slayer allies snuggled to communicate. with the prosaic and pragmatic Malefactors .. One of these Annunaki Schatenkoj i, 3 former pupi I ofNemere - gai ned a rapid understanding of the spirit, and his devices became an integral part of the Alabaster Legion's Haven project.

1\ TI!'\Eor Sormo{J)
WhHe the Age of Wonders was, in many ways, a golden time before the honors of the Time of Atrocities, it was also a bitter time of defeat for the Annunaki, a real izat ion tha t there were hmi ts to their arts - and
to humanity's

dral. No Annuneki-c-not

me

even the mad Scharenkoji

- would blaspheme by attacking it Dr fight beneath its shadow except in self-defense. As (he smiths of the Crimson Legton built G enhi nnom, Annunaki in. the other legions bu nit the great citadels of DGda.el, Taba'et' and Kasdeja. Only [he members of the Ebon Legion eschewed the buildtug of a central bastion .. They preferred [Q base themselves in Genhinnorn, the better to defend the teachers of the Crimson Legion, or to stay mobile and patrol Creation for signs of the Heavenly Host. Other stonesrniths spread across Creation, building bastions of all design:sand purposes, and a few devoted themselves to building cities and villages for humanity.

love.

The relicsmirhs of the Crimson Legion produced relics that could have made mankind's existence a paradise, but humanity coeld nor learn.how to use these gifts.
Nemere and his fellows built plows that could till all a

?\. TlI'\.EOf' m\7E TION

Meanwhile, the second group of Malefactors, [he: relicsmiths, devoted themselves to creatmg new tools for humanity. Nemere and his brethren worked ceaselessly in the depths of Genhinnorn, building new and ever more sophisticated relics .. Some of these items were created not for human hands but for demonic use. to assist in the work of the Crimson Legion. Others were made for the simple joy of invention. nor for any planned project or use. For [he most part, though, these relicsmnhs created tools meant for humans to use, [Q give them [he keys w unlock Creation and manipulate it with ease.

tribe's fields in ali. bour and OOWB that could unerringly seek out the: heart ofabear, but in mortal hands, these relics were nOUlOJ:"ethan normal tools. Humans had not yetie'al:rted to hatness !herr own wills, their own faith, and WithoUl:thaqJOwer, the relics would not respond to their touch, Thspet"dteto aid t:h~ircllID'ges, me.Anmmakiused the relics thsmselves, doing the work of dozens of mortal farmers and miners, butsuch actsdid norpleasehumaniry, Instead, mortals were confused and frightened by the angels and their incemprehensible toolS. TIley carne [0 resent the betngs who seemed so much better than thev were and bestowed use~ess gifts that could nor be made to function. Mortal hearts hardened against Malefactors, and rille Anounaki, who had thrown. HW3yaLL of Creation alit of love.for mortals, felt again the pain of

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rejection and loneliness. It was not nnlvthe

Annunakt

of

Legion who found disappeinrmens dttting

thiS time. The

me

Crimson

researchers of the Silver Legion failed in their attempts to understand the human race. Even the assiFt;(lnce of

69

the Defilers, who knew the ways ofhuman ity better than any other House, could not provide the- Malefactors with the insight they craved. AI> rhe Age of Wonders

from the destruction

drew to a close, the Annunakidespaired

of ever knowing

humanirvto the extent cheydesir,ed-orofeverhaving their love for humanity reciprocated.

TtIE Tll1.Eor]\ TRO(ITIE5

Everything changed when Caine ki lied his brother Abel, Th is First Murder un leashed new and appa lllng
changes upon Creation .. Hatted and anger, violence and sin - all of these were now possible. and they consumed (he imaginations IOf demon and morral alike. The souls of the Annunaki were awakened ro the te mptations of anger and atrocity. For many of these demons, hurt and rejected by humanitv, the
desire

of human souls. Naming himself Schatenkoji the Ghostsrnith, he laid Waste to the citadel of Kasdeja,. maiming and destroying marty of his fanner allies before fleeing to the waiting arms of Asmodeusand the Silver Legion. To this Jay, the Slavers revile his name, calling him the Greatest Abomination, and wi I! never fully trust the Anrumaki, In the armories of Dfidael and. the laboratories of Taba'et', [he renegade Annunaki continued to hone
their arts of rellcsmlthlng, A new world of pain, destruction anti possibilities was open before them, and the Malefactors - still aching from therejection of humanity - sought to explore all of these new possibilities upon the bodies and souls of humankind. The Annunakl created new and powerful weapons,

GJl\'ES

or PUl"llSM I'\ENT

for revenge was all consuming.

DEFee-nO fLi\RD 5ETl\i\(IJ\L.'5 In the wake of Caine's sin. many Malefactors carne to reject the law s ufLucifer. The Lightbrtnger, after ali, had been the first to stay their hand during
[he forming of Creation, the first to reject their wisdom. "No longer," said the malcon tent Annunaki.

from swords of fire to cannon [hat threw bolts of rom space-time, They developed lnstrumenis of torture and murder to unleash upon helpless hurnaniw. In the bowels of Taha'et', Schatenkojl the Ghostsmith perfected his techniques ofenslaving human souls to
the engines of relics. He created items of utter horror that hadno purpose except the spreading of fear and moral corruption ..The Soulforge, the Window That WhiSpers, the Copper Heart, rhe Seven Canticles, the Book of Black Mirrors -..- the legends of these wicked artifacts still exist in human and demon society alike, eons after they were destroyed.

,. hall we be controlled and blocked by others. We are

free [Q remake Creation as we decide, and we will use humanity as we see fir to the process." On the field of battle, next (0 the ruins of the Holy City of Sagun, H smattering ofMalefacwrs of the Crimson and [ron Legions threw clown their banners and left the ranks of the loyalists, crossing the rubble to join the Ebon. and Silver Legions, While muy a handful of Annunaki left the loyalist legions,rhey took great riches with them, relics and tools of great power. These defectors joined ·the rebellious legions

the bitter relicsmiths also made relics for mortals to use, harnessing souls through the discoveries of Schatenkoii, Why create tools for the creatures !they wlshed to harm? Because these tools could only brillg harm to the mortals mat used [hem. Some were
cursed, destined co turn upon [he user and destroy his

As

well as making items for [heir own use, though,

and usedthe, wisdom and diseoveties of their former

allies against

Crimson and Iron Legions wept to find th,e:ms.d.ve.li pitted aga insrtheir brothers and sisters. The gre"'teBt betrayal of all, though, was in die ranks of the Alabaster Legion. The Malefactor Schatenkoj i, inspi red by Ca.ine's sin, devisee! a way to crap human sou Is in physical chains - to harness the. power of human ity even after they,tlad died. He kept this discovery secret from the Slayers, who would 'have considered it the ultimate blasphemy. In his buried workshop on. the edge of the spirit world, he waylaid mortal souls bound for oblivion or the Haven created by tlhe Alabaster Legion and usedthem as components in his-expetimenrs. By the time the

them, while the lo aJ Mal~factors of me

soul. Others were designed to destroy the lives and souls of others, and it amused the Malefactors [0 watch 11l1U1..ans rum upon their own kind. And some of these rei ics bore no curse, no taste for blood, but still held the potential to ruin lives. In their
hubris, meiremotional 'Pain, rebel Armunaki cast themselves into the role of judges. Masters of the material world, they decided It was their righ t to assess the worth of humanity, given that the mortal race seemed unable to transcend its physical nature and embrace its spiritual destiny. If humans were creatures of matter, then the former Angels of Matter could judge their merits - and they often did so by providinga mortal witha relic that she could use ..Ifshe could withstand the temptations of power and nor misuse the relic, valuable data was garnered; if she tore herself apa.rr in her desires to use the dey ice. t1ien such

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legion

finally

discovered what he. was doing.

Scharenkoji had perfected his techniques, learning to enslave souls and hamessthem in his devices. Now his only thought was eo gain more and more power

was [he appropriate punishment for her weakness.

10

The renegades tempted mortals with magic swords and talking mirrors, boctornless chests of gold and scepters of infernal might, and when the mortals succumbed [0 [he lure of the relics' powers, the Arinunaki laughed as they observed the carnage.

PROTECToRS 7\l'ID EJ\PLOfiERS While it was an era of horrors and excess, the Time of Arrocities was also a golden age for game, and a time when the loyalists of Lucifer continued to protect and
teach the morral race. Wh.i.le many Malefactors had defected to the Eben and Silver Legions, many yet remained in the Crimson and Iron Legions and still worked for the betterment" of human and demon alike. The warriors ofthe iron Legion continued to protect

mortal towns and villages, though the threat.now carne

not fromthe Host

of Heaven, butthe

marauders and

warlords ofthe Ebon and Silver Legions. Theshieldsof the Iron Legion placed their steel and granite bodies between
the humans and their demonic attackers, and the renegades fell back, unable to harm their former comrades. On the borders of Creation) Malefactors conducted experiments into the Iaws and substance of this damaged reality, building relics that could repair [he harm caused by God's destruction of Paradise. The demon lBefana, now named Mistress of Roads, made her legendary Diamond Map ofCreation and discovered all the hidden byways and runnels in the fabric of space-time. Workingwith the wisest of thestonesmiths, she and her allies connected these tunnels into a system ofley lines that crisscrossed Creation, anchored into place with obsidian sreles and menhirs. At the center of the network was the First Mountain, Thalam'kudan, holiest site of the Annunaki - the highest mountain ever pulled from the earth, a stony peak so tall its tip drew asteroids and comets in its wake. Thala-rn 'kudan's central position and revered status made it the perfect meeting place fOTrhe Annunaki - and from all legions, aIL sides, the demons of stone met and parleyed in the mountain 's caverns. By mutual consent, all enmities and hatreds were forgotten in the sacred caves I politics and lovalries left outside ..The First Mountain was a place. where all Annunaki - demons who could gain true understanding and companionship only from each other - mer ro retain friendships and soothe old hurts, to talk of stone and relic design, [0 exchange ideas and to forget the hurts and torments of the outside. While many other demons gave. their loyalty co their legion first and House second, the An,nunaki always retained a strong bond to their House. This made the pain of fighting their siblingsand brethren of the House of the Material so much more painful when the Long March was finally declared.

countenance no more. He gathered to him the Crimson and Iron Legions, and set off on the Long March, the crusade: to bring the wastrels and monsters of (he rebel Legions hack intothe fold. In the shadows of (he infernal citadels, Annunaki fought Annunaki. Borh sides encased their hearts in stone to stifle pain of -fighting their brethren, their oniy friends. In rhe desert, the armies of the Crimson Legion iay siege to rhe Ebon citadel of DLid:M~I. While Iron legionnaires shielded them from the attacks of the Ebon army, Kishar and her sronesmirhs called out to the walls of the citadel to returnto the earth, for the stones to cease lying atop each other. The walls shook and crumbled, and Lucifer's forces rushed in to overpower dill! Ebon Legion. TIle siege ofT aba' er', home of the Sillvet Legion, was far more difficult, and far rome costly to the armies of the Morningstar. The Malefactors of the Silver Legion had learned black and mysterious secrets, and they were armed with weapons and relics unmatched by those of the attackers. Powered by mortals souls and unending pain, the cannon of the defenders breathed molten lead into the bones of the Crimson arrnies and unleashed vortices of spiritual energy that drew entire battalions into emptiness of the spirit world. Ar [he battle's height, when all seemed lost for Crimson Legion, Schatenko] i the Ghosrsrnith appeared on T aba'et's battlements, a four-armed horror of metal and fire, armed with the most powerful and lethal of his inventions. Around his black swordsand armor floated a cloud of mortal spirits, hound and enslaved by his relics, screaming in torment and bolsrerlng his power ill hundredfold.

TI1"E.LoHG t\_i\I\CrI The excesses of the Time of Atrocities went unchecked for man yye ars, LI nt il finaJl y, Lucifer would

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Screaming in, criumph,.

an

Ghostsmlth mocked the loyalists and daT~d them to face him in combat. Then, from the ragged ranks of the Crimson Legion, srepp¢d;\il soli tal;)' figure, a being cf blaek iron 3.M brass, holdiJl&in one hand a small cube of 'syir and silver. Nemere, the Arcbitecrurare, Love! ofReliEsmlths, stood alone before the walls ofT aba'et' ,and Schatenko] ileapt down todestrov him. c'Yourskill, YOllT knowledge, are as

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nothing to me," saidthe Ghosrsmlrh, "for no trinket you wield can have atenth the power of my slaved ghosts, and no weapon you can create can cut through their pratection."T-o this Nemere said nothing, bur merely opened the cube he held, revwling an emprv nothingness with a single bright light at its heart, the hghrofhls own perfect soul. The ghosts chained to Schatenkojj'srelics were ripf.)ed free and drawn into tlte light. They flooded from [be Ghostsmhh's weapons and streamed into the cube, and when the. last one was drawn into the

1101SFEOf' Til d~ \I~LE"

box, it clicked 'hUL Then Nemere fell to his knees, forever lost - his essence consumed utterly in imbuing the cube with the nothlngnes of void. The Archirecturare lay dead, the light of his soul f rever extinguished, but charenkojl too was powerless, his relics inert and Ll eless, And with that, a mighty bout arose from the Crimson and Iron Legions, and they

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take control of Crear ion. Yet in end, it was rheir own love for humanity, coupled with their Inabilirv ro understand the human soul, that helped usher in the end of the rebel! ion and the final triumph of the Host.
TOOL-SOf'D TLRlT
Energized by Lucifer's vision, the relicsrniths of the Crimson Legion shaped new artifacts for mortal use, Drawing on [he techniq ues developed by the inventors of [he Silver Legion, the Ann un aki were able (0 finally craft relics that could be used by mortals, by binding their own power and awareness into the relics to dire t the u er's will, It wa still nor a trivial matter for a morral to activate the power a these relics, bur it could be done. And for the relicsrnlrhs, the acrifice of a small measure of their own strength and power was worth the cost. While the inventors of Annunaki toiled in their workshops, the other members of House also did their parr 1:0 bolster human society. Lucifer "elected two members ofthe House to join Ten, the elite band of the wisest and greatest teacher of the Sebertu, Giriel, Rock of Ages, Soul of [he World' Core, was chosen [Q teach mortals ways of stone. Ir was he who instructed humans in the secrets of masonry and building, of creating towers and viaducts, and of shaping the land i.tself through tools and science. His brother in the Ten was Gamael, Celestial

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rushed forward to overthrow T ab!'et' and rake the Ghosrsmith prisoner. No one knows what became of Schatenkojl, who was later taken before Lucifer for punishment. TIle layers swear mat he was not de-

stroyed or killed, ut neither was h imprisoned in Hell at the end of the War. With the taking of DOdaeJ and Tab§'er", the Long March ended. and the legions once more united under banner of Lucifer. At ltmg last, the rebelIion was back on track, edicared to one goalto bring humanity's potential to full fruition and make Creation perfect now and forever.

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Now, at last, the Annunaki could dedicate themselves to one go,al- the perfection of humani ty)

TUE Tlt\lEor BABEL

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perfection of Creation. ow was the hance to finish wnat was stm so long ago, the chance to build a

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new and berter world. TI1e Mafefac ors bent all their knowledge and skill to teaching humanity how [0

72

ell ~PTER TIlREE

Master of Cobalt, the Anvil of Stars. Garnael taught humanity to make its own tools, to forge steel and iron, copper and bronze. He showed people 'how to make hammer and anvil, plough and sword, smelter and refinery. The two humble and wise Malefactors joined the other members of the Ten and walked among humans, imparting all the wisdom of the Annunaki to those who would listen. It was the culmination of the dreams of the Annunaki, the final realization of their diesire [ bring humanity to its fun potential An it wa a Malefactor
who destroyed it all.

humanity. For the children of the forbidden union were the terrible nephilim, and their rampages crippled morral society and threw it dawn into dust and ruin. Their hate drew them to Giriel and Gamael, and [Q the rest of Ten, and gave them the power to destroy the wisest of the Sebettu. The love- the lust - of the Annunski had turned upon them, and in their desire and foil y, they had doomed humanity. The Annunaki fought desperately a1 ngside the rest of the Sebettu against the nephilirn, hopelessly trying to. redeem the sin f their fellows. The creatures

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TI1ESl.1:?\fTERING Her name was Zipacna, and she was neither the greatest nor the least of [he Crimson Legion's relicsruiths. Having worked alongside Angels of the Wild before the Fall, crafting the forms of anima! from clay, she had learned ome Mug of the Lore of

Sml\ND

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[he Flesh. In the service of the Crimson Legion she built reli to heal the wound ofhumanlrv. She cared deeply for humanity, though she had nevertrulvdealt with mortals, Her only crime was naivete, but with

[hat he destroyed the Eden dream. Of all [he Houses, the Annunaki were perhaps [he most vulnerable to the lies of the betrayers - the renegades who whispered that humanity was doomed to forever stop short of its potential. "Humans cannot rca h divine," the e corrupted nes whispered, "but we can. Let us mate with mortais, sothanheir children,

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children, may inherit creati n. With our aid, the d cendants of humanity can fulfill the dream their parents cannot," For the Annunaki, who frnd long loved

humanity without being able ro express mat-love, rliis blasphemous notion held grea tattraction. The act would be sin, and worse than sin, bur it would also be an act of love. But the notion was an impossible one. TIle flesh of demons was spiritual, not physical, While they had bodies, such things were manifestations of theirwlll, not breathing organisms. The Sebetru were spirit. not ffesh, and they could not j oin with mortals to cr te children. Nor until.Zipacna, her wisdom blinded by unrequited love, invented the Stone of Fecundity and Limitarioa. TI1.is tiny relic, no more than a pearl of singular beauty, could allow the spirit of a demon to rake morral flesh. It could clothe her in mortal bones and blood and anchor her immortal essence to mortal seed. Under influence of stone, a demon could father and mother children and finally know Loveofhumaniity. Never thinking of consequences, Zipacna crafted several score of the stones and distributed them to eager demons who had succumbed to the lies of the betrayers. IX/hatfollowed was the great sham e of the Annunaki - that in their love for humanity, they helped destroy

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were de rroved, but the cost was enormous - humanity had been cast down, and the dream of Eden wou ld never be realized. And the Malefactors wept tears of copper and basalt, knowing that the perfection of Creation was unattainable now and forever. TliEERD

Creation cries out to be repaired and rebuilt once more. Creation lies in ruin, bur with dedication and skin - and perhaps love of humanity - it can be perfected, and both humanity and Annunaki might final] y be able to ful fill the it destin ies,

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In the wake of the Shattering and the destruction of the Babel Experiment, the Host of Heaven retumed to Creation and lav siege to the heartbroken armies of the
shielding their allies with their bod ies of stone and iron.

or Tt1l:J\I'J)ELLlON

for the Armunaki, Hell was worse than simple

nothingness" simple olirude, After all, Malefactor
were 'Used co eing alone. No, what mad it even worse was the loss of Creation - [0 b forever exile

Seberru. The Malefactors fought fiercely, at first, wielding relics and artifacts a am It the armies of God and

from the earth and il, the tone and fire, that they had crafted from th bare I:: at m . The Ann unak i
defined them elve a the compani ns of the earth, and with earth denied them, they had no way to know themselve .any longer. Slowly, though, the Anrnmaki grew inured to [he absence of earth and srone, There was still pain, there was always pain, but it could be rolerared, Now the Annunaki fO!illd themselves in a position to gain power in me hierarchy of HeLl. They had al ways eschewed such power games in the past, preferring their own studiesand me company of stone. but that was denied them now. It was time to take advantage of wh at was available. The Annunaki moved to place themselves into the factions and power groups, using their intelligence as a weapon. While they lacked social skills and instincts, rheir abilitv to learn and analyze was strong. They dominated the ineellecrual aspects of demonic society and made alliances as necessary to gain ocial power. This placed them at odds with the Namaru, the Devils, wh se incredible social skills allowed [hem [0 control most of the infernal court. The Annunaki remembered the arrogance f the Narnaru, before and after [he FaU, starting with Lucifer's usurplng of the perfection of Creation. They pined themselves against the Devils with vigor, glad to have an enemy they could Identify and fight. and they worked [0 hone their octal p wers and skills.

figlu, their desire for rebellion. The pain in thei r souls became too strong. The sting of rejection, offallure, of hopelessness. became too much to bear. Some threw
wi U to themselves with fanatical vigor against the forces of Heaven, hoping [0 fall inbattle and pass from this flawed Creation forever. Most, though, simply surrendered, too sad and too broken to continue fighting. When the walls of Genhinnorn finalily fell, and when lucifer was chained in Links of fire and lighr, Annunaki drew together in the rubble of the Black Cathedral to await their punishment. Some demons stood with their remains of their legion or with allies they had made in the.Final War, but for Malefactors, always the outsiders, rhe only comfort to be had in the face of judgment was with their own kind. Massed together. rhey watched as the H t destroved the rell and wonders they had made, the weapons and works of art that had crystallized the beauty and potential of Creation. They watched as the Host dragged down the towers of obsidian and copper they bad erected, and reduced them to dust and ashes. They watched as the Host wiped away everything thar Oley had ever created, everything that d'ley had builtto honor the Creation they loved, And when thevcould watch ne mere, they walked into the Pit and embraced the oblivion oFHeU.

But as

me final War wore on, the Annunaki

lost their

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OuT OF

To survive rhe vacant horror of Hell, the Annunak:i pushed away rhelr em rl ns, becoming creatures of cold calculation and lntelligence. Such

Tim 3aaNSS
Abyss have opened, and the Sebettu

an attitude was the

niy way

to 0

the the pain of

The. reasons ale still a my tery! but rhe gates of the are free once more - free [0 take their revenge on Creation, free to unleash the pain of their torment UPOEl the world. For most of the Annunaki, the jov of freedom i overwhelmed by th herr r f seeing what Creation has been reduced 00 and theem tiona] scarring that drives them t punt h humanity for never loving r:hem enough. For some, though, there- is hope - for d"le Malefactors are builder , fir t and foremost, and

rejection. the loss of Creation, and the Malefactors were prepared to spend all of eternity as unfeeling, analytical monsters. But then Hen broke open, and the Annun.aki were granted their greatest wish - to return tu Creation and feel the touch of stone and earth ullon their flesh again. It was a wish that gave th m far less joy than they would ever have suspected. Creation is in ruins, degenera ted far beyond the ta e it had reached ar the time of the Shattering. The earth i desecrated, polluted, wounded, the jewels and fruits of the earth ripped from irs womb by rapacious and greedy mortals. As for hose

74

mortals, the beings who rejectedthe love cfthe Anmmaki they have changed (00, for better and for far worse. TI1ey have become a race of makers, of builders, who have created tools and technology so incredible as [Q make a Malefactor weep. BUE this drive to invent has been at the cost of their souls, their potential, Humanity is moreseparated from Creation than ever before, seeing the wodd as a resource to be exploited, not a birduight to be loved and honored. Humansuse theworld instead ofrespecting it, and to the Annunaki who were banished from Creation for daring to love ixso completely, this is the worst of blasphemies.

work, establishing political power over their rivals and spiritual power over mortals. ·\Xfll.ile only a few Annunaki were loose On Earth at first, they possessed a major advantage over their rivals: their ability ta create relics, artifacts and enhanced devices. In the Age of Wrath, alldemons had access to relics, and the legions maintained large armories of enchanted weapons and tools. In the Pit, no objects or physical devices could even exist, so no House or faction had access to relics. But now, in this new world, the Annunaki had tb.e advantage, the mastery of relicsrnithing, and soon they were armed

Once the Annunaki would have thrown themselves to the ground and wept at this desecration. but that was before they survived Hell. Now their eyes are dry and [heir hearts stony, their emotions kept in check. To survive the Abyss, the Malefactors became thinkers and planners, ready ro use any resource to their advantage, and theyremain such now [hat [hey have escaped. Their minds are keen, their hearts are cold, and Creation lies spread before them. Now Anmmaki will rake what they want, achieve the goals. rhey desire and rework Creation as they see fit, for only they are me true judges of the material, and only they ha ve the righr to decide Crea tion and mankind's fate.

with mystical devices and tools that their rival de-

monscould not match. With chis edge, the Annunaki

were able ro exercise considerable influence over

their fdlow demons and leverage rhemsel yes into positions of influence in infernal courts and power groups that formed in the first days of freedom.

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Rr:ri\KIl"Kl Losr GnOUJ'ID

force

The Anrsmakl were are] ative Iy small pa rt of (he of demons who first streamed forth from the broken walls of the Abyss. The MalemGtOI:s had done [heir best [Q forget Creation, te block out rhelr pain and discract themselves with the working of infernal politics instead. When the gates of Oblivion opened!
a crack, most Annunaki were focused elsewhere,
to

while demons of the other I-louses flooded forth

Creation. Those few Malefactorswhowerepartohbe firs!: wave of escapees were rnosdv demons of little power or influence, unencumbered by obligations within Hell, Others were ordered forth by their roasters and superiors in me courts, expendable followers who would nor be missed if the promise of freedom turned into some new torture of the Creator's. So in the first days of the great escape from Hell.the Annunakiwere a small minority of the demons loose on Earth. Most of these Malefactors became distracted by the indescribable pleasures - and agonies - of being manifest in Creation once more, of being in contact with earth and stone and matter after so Long alone in oblivion. But aeons of suffering and soli rude had i nstilled discipline and willpower in the Anaunaki, and few Malefactors remained distracted by their surroundings for long. Outnumbered by the ocher Houses tJf the Sehettu on Earth - Houses mat had become theirpolitical rivals in Hen - the Annunaki quicHy set to

Unfortunately; dominance of mortal and demon society requires more than enchant-ed weapons and jury-rigged relics. While the Annunaki had a major advantage over their rivals, they also tended to have a notable disadvantage -- the human host whose soulless bodies they now possessed. For the most part, Malefactors had been drawn to mortals who were also inventors and builders, who worked with their hands and minds -- not mortals with supplies of money, power and influence. While their mystical abilities were strong, most Malefactors found themselves on the low end of the mortal social order, blue collar workers or bard-working engineers rather than politicians ortycoons. These Annul1aki found it hard to marshal resources and :influence -- and while [hat shou Ido\ have been a factor in in reracrion with other demons. the Sebettu quickly realized that mundane -power was just as useful in some cases as mystical ability. The highest positions of power in the newly fanning demonie society tended to be claimed by Devils and Defilers, who either possessed hosts with tempera] influence or were able to quieklv gain such

through their abilities. With less mundane influence

and less abili'L] tQ gain followers and worshippers, the Anp.unaki rnusrgenerallv satisfy themselves WLcil.the
role of advisor or consultant to an infernal ruler ~ viziers and counselors .•net kings and princes, (nMTlNG 1\ NEw ORDER

Of all the Houses of [he Sebertu, [he Annunaki are: perhaps the most unified, and they have been ever since they were created. Even before the Eall, the Artificers hewed together, separate from themherElohim. During the Age of Wrath, loyalty 10 House often transcende.a a Malefactor's loyalty to h!s legion, and .Annunaki who were (in theory) mortal enemies would trade rehc des ign

ideas on the slopes of Thala-m'kudan. In Hell, this closeness and loyalty gave me Annunaki strength ro survive the emptiness oftheirprtson and the purpose to become a powerful force in demonic pojitics. Now that they have been released onto Earth, the Annunaki remainaclose- knit House. \XIh.ilemost Malefactors belon,g to a faction, the bond. to their own House, [Q stone and steel and the comforts of the earth, is usually monger than that of mere ideology. Malefactors still argue and disagree over what to do with Creation and humanity. They all agree, though, that.something must be done, and that only they are truly qualified to take control of the material world. They also agree that humanity is key to whatever goal. is to be reached, and that only by ga iningthe faith and devotion clfhuffi'oIDity can Creation be reshaped (or even perhaps redeemed). But as well ascontrolllng or inflluehcing humanity, it remains vital for the Annunaki to retain theirintluence in demonic society, especially now that other Houses are gaining a powerful hold Over Creation. The Malefactors make up an almost monolithic bloc in infernal society, a powerful group that ismore unified and coherent than:my other House. This does nor guarantee them dominance in infernal politics, unfortunately, as they still lack the numbers, social power and access to mortal faith mat

other Houses benefit from. Bur the Annunaki are otten whose allegiance. has been enough [Q alter the balance of power on many occasions. In return for thiscooperation, senior Malefactors lIsuaay demand favors, temporal and
mundane influence, greater influence overdemonic politics or access to lost relics, Only then will the Annunaki retire in private, so these rewards can be argued over by members ofopposing factions and courts. Some rare Malefactors stand apartfromtheir brethren, a~though it's almost unheard of for an Annunald to work against her House. But mdependent M~lera.c· tors do exist, as do those who placefactio,a or personal

the deciding voice indemonic society, an influential bloc

philosophy ahead of the needs of their House.

(ringe dwellers never complete

outsiders, never completely estranged from their fellows - often become key players in demonic poll ti.cs,-simpiy by virtue of their House. Other demons, knowing the Annunaki almost always speak with one voice, will do their best to win alone Malefactor to their cause, hop ing lihat:she will bring with her the politIcal weight of her House,
CUU!ling loners use this ({) their advantage, gaining

These

power through [he pmrni~e oftheir House's supportwhich can backfire, of course, ifthe House decides not Ira back up a greec!y Oli uncontrollable Ma lefactor. POCIJERPu\llS The ultimare goal for most Annunaki is to remake

Crearion,

to reshape it into its perfect form. They also

wish to rebuild the human race, [Q allow it to fulfill its paten rial. "Where the Annunaki differ and argue is over JUSt what that potentialts and what Creanon should become. Some wish co chain the power of humanity and use it: to elevate the Sebettu; some hope to cleanse Creation of rhe scars of centuries and make it the perfect universe LC was meant to be.'WhiIe the House presents a unified from to rest of Sebettu, differences and clashes arise within the Malefactor ranks. The factional inflghring is far less severe [han ill, for example, the camps of the Narnaru, but it does exist, and it can throw the House into a disarray that it tries desperately to hide from rest of demonic society. Such disagreements rarely become dangerous, though, clue. to the guidance and relentless work of Gipontel, perhaps the most politically powerful and Influential of the Annunaki, The behind-the-scenes leader of the Cryptlc.s,. Gipontel is the only Malefactor to command a major [merna] Faction,. and he does so in the same way he influences his own House. In the service ofh!::; faction, he forges connections with other demons and other groups, trades information and favors and gives sizable rewards [0 those who advance the Cryptics' quest for knowledge. Behind closed doors, he appliesthe same artitude to arbirrating disagreements within the House of Ere and Stone! preaching unity, cooperation and advancing [he cause of the Annunaki. Most Malefactors look. to Gipomel as a clear-headed, mostly objective judge of disputes and d lsagreements, as he's carefu 1not to advance the needs of his own faction over "those of his flouse. A rurmberof other senior Annunaki have influence within the House's affairs, and some of them are starring to chafe under Giponrel's dominance. While few doubt that he is sincere in his desire to gain power :for the Annunaki, some Malefactors believe that his true reason fnr doing so is to make himself more powerful, the sole: leader of the dominant House of Creation. These senior Annunaki are attempting to develop their own power~, in order to challenge Olpontel should he attempt to seize power within House. Given the respect the majority of Malefactors pav rhe Cryptic leader, though, such rival groups are still small. The most effective rivals to Gipontel's dominance are those who choose to develop their influence outside the House itself. They g<l in power in morral societv or within the laJ)"gerdemoniccommunil:y, arenas where Gipontel has far less power. One prominent rival is Hirguan, whose personal wealth and financial power gives him ~everage. Another, Caacrinoias, is making inroads into influencing the British government to gain political and military powell. Perhaps th.e most visible rival to Giponte I, though, is Fell Knigh I: Guanli,

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7.6

a master relicsmith who has gained great influence in the infernal Courtofl.os Angeles. A renegade Cryptic, Guanli turned his back on his former leader to amass his own power base, and he has gained significant influence in demonic politics ~ in no small part, say some rumormongers, due to his secret alliance with one of [he terrible Earthbound. While these rivalries and tensions exist, relations are strong for [he most parr. Most disagreements are resolved evert without

within the Annunaki

Gipontel's input, for the Annunaki are predisposed to work rogether rather than fight among themselves. IBm as more Malefactors continue to escape Hell and come to Earth, some worry that the House's unity might begin to ft:ay and that more Annunaki ~ tempted by the prospect of personal power and their

is the hope that [he other Annunaki will be able to devise a plan for Creation that meets hrs needs - his own private. loyal think tank, Gipontel isn't officially a leader of his House any more so he's officially the leader of the Crvptics. Instead, he presents himself as a collator and controller of information, an objective third party prepared to share his insights and wisdom. 111e best thing about this image is that it's true ..His main aim is to keep the House running smoothly, and to make himself equal valuable to all parties. By staying seemingly objective and notfavoring even his 0\,'11 faction, he remains respected. By not appearing to actively seek the power

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and responsibil ities ofleadership, he ensures that other Malefactors will give him such when the rime is right. Gtu\NU

own cult of mortals to supply faith ~ will turn. away from their House and seek to make their own paths. Such a development would not just threaten the House's position in demonic. politics, it would be the destruction of the only loving, trusting family most: Annunaki have ever lcnown.

StIj\PER5

or THE EMTtI

Always practical, always pragmatic, the Annunaki seek to gain power and advance their goals in a concrete manner. Some shun the limelight and build in secret, trying to avoid unwanted attention: others work. openly for the ir goals, using their v isible projects to distract rivals from any hidd'en agendas. A House

of thinkers and builders, Malefactors develop strucurred plans, rather than actingon impulse. Many look [0 the long-term for their ultlmate goals, working slowly and steadily to build their empires and perfect their creations. The following are only some of the major Annunakl loose in Creation, building power bases and amassing both temporal and spiritual influence, Many more are working quietly and calmly toward their goals, choking clown their sorrow and waiting for a chance (0 remake reality in their O'Wl] image. GIPO TEl__, As a leaderotborhthe.Crvptlcs and the influential Malefactor Ibloc, G tporuel is one of the most politically powerful demons in the world. This, of course, has always been his aim. Knowledge is power, and G iponrel has a great deal of both. The only question now is what 10 do with power, and that's something demon is stili Hying co determine. Giponrel wants to make Creation a finer, more pertecrthing, a shining wonder with himself as ruler. He's not yet sure what needs to be done to Creation in order to improve it, though. One reason he's worked (0 assume power within his House

In absolute contrast to Gipontel, Guanli aggressively seeks out power and influence over demonic society. Originally he was a loyal Cryptic, assigned with a team offellow d!emons to monitor Los Angeles after Lucifer's appearance there. Seeing a chance to gain power for himself, though, he abandoned his allies and inserted himself into the LIpper ranks of LA' s infernal court, ga.ining influence quickly through both trading favors and eliminating rivals. Influencing the infernal court of a single city, of course, isnotenough-notenough to ~atisfyGuanli's dream of a Creation that is the bloody plaything of himself and his lover Rsvana. Currently bissights are set on mking control of bath of l.os Angeles' demonic courts, becoming sole ruler of the multitude of demons in the city. From mere, the next step is to dominate demonic politics rhroughour North America. His secret amy in this is Man.ish(usu, the horrific Earthbound Lord of Murder. Guanli curr-endy acts as the Earthbound's servant, not its equal, but t[,:at 1:00 will change as soon as the Malefactor rmcls a wealenes fn the monster's defenses and can steal away irs powe.r. Hiding his plans from his "master," Guart1! has his own servants searshing the. world for the t.e1iquary containing Manishtusn's soul. and power. If he. can find it, he might be able to bend the Earthbound t~1:lh1swJ1l.

C1\.i'\€l'UNOLJ\, Caacrinolas is the head of the British Research

Council. an innocuous name for a far more complex. organization, The BRC is d~VcOl:edto advising the British government on policy ramifications. Its reo searchers and analysts buildprojections and mine data to gi VI:: the ~overnmenr the information it needs before making decisions.Since Caacrinolas rook possession of BRE Chairperson Adelaide Mammon, though. the group's function has Sli btl y changed ..The

mat

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77

HUDlES (J FTil io: F \!LE!\

information

it feeds to the government

is not ull'ong

exactlv, it's just slanted in a particular

toward a particular purpose. new security measures,

direction

Right
to'

I\O\Vj

the BRe is advising the governmeur

and to

institute

tough

and the US government is assembling <L task fowe [Q investigate herfunding and alleged connections with organizedcrime, Probst, meanwhile, is inVienna, meeting sdemifk consortiums and mega-corporations to discuss her research and parents.

combine them with ~l reduction in Social Security and welfare. It's also advising [be creation of a controlled autonomous zone. in London, an area where drugs and prostitution are legalized and taxed. Csacrinolas wants to see what happens when. some hmnanS9rl:' given Iess freedom and others more freedom. She wants to know which set of conditiorrs will do more to unlock human potential. The fact that she's gaining influence over British government - indeed, has several Ministers and Members of Parliament as til ra H5 - is a welcome side benefit that she might use as a weapon against Gipoutel.

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'None suspec t the truth orreahze that the realreason Probst fled America was to avoid the attention of her fellow demons. For Zipa...:na is determined to redeem her great Sill, nc matter what cost. With morral science and demonic magic" she. will bring forth a new human race, combining me best features of mortal and demon. And thts time.she cellsherselftn herrnadness, there will be [to nephllirn. This time. she'l] get it right..

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R-BLiCSaNl>

Hlf\GU

.N

LosTLorm

Uluru, once called Ayers Rock, is the largest

single piece of stone in the world, lying immense and sullen in rhe Australian desert. Hirguan knows full well the appeal of stone, as wdl as the wound [hat the loss of the Grandfather Mountain still causes his

It takes more than skill and determination to remake or repair Crearion. I t requires mols, and none are. greater users and makers of tools than the Armunaki. MalefactorS ha ve awide arra y of weapons, re Iics, rituals, powers and tools at their d isposa I, both new andold ..Indeed. the HOllse might have more t{:)OI.5 than its members can actually use, hut it's better to have too many optionsthan too few.

feHow Anrurnaki,
and publishing

In his guise as Australian business

Darryl Sykes, he planned to take control ofrhe lJ luru tourist park and make U luru tnro 11 new neutral ground for Malefactors, a place to make deals and broker influence. In 50 doing, he hoped ro gain more dominance over the Anmmaki by
magnate replacing Giponrel
[(II'

RELfCS
No other House can boast the vase stockpile of relics and ill')''Stk:artifacts that tine Annunaki possess, Many Malefactors have already made dozens of new

as the trusted advisor and arblrra-

of the HOlH,e.
What he didn't takeinro account was the mystic
river

tools and relics upon rheirescape

{rom Hell, [heir

ltv its traditional Aboriginal inhahitanrs. These wise men see through Hirguan's mortal seeming to the demon withir», and
deep wid-lin the stone, protected can. Hirguan also didn't figure en the incredible attraction the scene holds for him - a bea:ory:md
they are fighting his takeoverarternptsevervwas

power of the rock, a serpentme

of energy coiled

rney

creative powers adapting to the new conditions of this weakened Creatlon. Others are searching for any lost rreasu res mat survived Heaven's pmges, kept safe in buried fortresses or pockets of space. TI1e folluwing relics are secrets possessed only by the Annunakl,

rarely shown to other demons, but Malefactors can

possess allY' number ·e.f other rdie-s. Their onJy limits are their own imaginati:ons and resources.

grandeur [hat's eating Into his soul. Thederaon desperately n~eds to come to Uluru to immerse himself in its aepths and touch, the power w [thin, and he '[I stop at nothing to, gain access and destroy the stone's
guardians. He's already arranged the purchase of illegal guns and other weapons. Now he's looking for

TIIEI1IDDE! J'\OUf'lT:t\'-R

Some mortals believethat K2 is the highest mouncain in the world. Most others know thar.Mount Everest
is actually about 200 meters higher. The: Annunaki, however, know that Thala-rn'kudan is the highesrmOlmmin in Creation, a towering behemoth of stone so rail that its peak scrapes ozone layer. The largesr mountain, that ever existed. Thala-rn'kcdan was the home of many Malefactors d!u[Lng Age of Wrath, its peak a

bombs, relics and helpers

tQ

nuK~ his dream a reality.

human fertility and cloning. For "startling," read "etbicallysha~ ,"as many of Probst's experiments seem
inm tmusLiUil, ifnotdowudght deming aredemandlnga

ZLP1\C~_1\ BiolbgiS[ Emily P1'Ohsr bUISt Dora the lorernanonal science scene recently wim new and! startling research

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sacred place to the demons of scone. lnrhecavems

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of the

mega!.. Opponenrs of human UN inquiry inro her methods,

Grandfather Mountain, all Annunaki were equal, and the wars and vendettas between legions were forgotten. No mortal has ever seen Thala-m'kudan, though, and

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most demons believe [he mountain crumbled and disintegrated during Shattering; reduced to dust and

rubble by the forces of Heaven.

The Anramaki know differently. Thala-rn'kudan exists still, and Malefactors. still meet in its ca verns, But the mountain no longer towers over the Himalayas. Instead, it exists inside a platinum casket, no bigger clean a shoebox. In the dying days of the war, Befana, Queen of Roads, severed the First Mountain from me rest of Creation, folding and refolding the-space around it, until the mountain existed entirely outside universe -the only connection remaining inside [he mouth of an ornate casket. The box. was, hidden far from angelic eyes, and it has only just been reclaimed. It's now in the possession of Giporuel, Malefactor second-in-command of the Cryptic faction. Thala-rc'kudan is sacred to the Annunaki, the single largest piece of solid stone that ever existed. Only Malefactors are permitted to come to the First Mountam. If another demon enters the box, she will be hunted to the end of the earth and punished for her blasphemy. Thala-rn'kudan is a meeting place for the Annunaki, who are forbidden [0 fight or harm even mortal enemies while in its sacred caverns, and any Malefactor who breaks this pact will be destroyed by his Celtows. Not all is calm and peaceful inside the mountain, though, for Thala-m'kudan has secrets. Visiting

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demons have reported hearing strange sounds or seeing mysterious figures or creatures, and some Annunski have never returned from the mountain ..Some say [hat afew nephilimhid frornLucifer's wrath in the cavemsof Thala-m'kndan and remain there still, Others posit that :somerhing lives in no-space around the mountain, a black power alien to Creation. A force (hac hungers ...

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System:

\Xlhen the box is open,

it looks com-

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pletely normal. Gipontel usually fills it with something innocuous like tobacco. A demon. who uses the Find
Path evocation of the Lore of Pa ths , though, can see the pinch of space-time insidethe box's mouth and can set foot inside ..To an observer the demon simply vanishes, while to the demon's eye the mouth of the box expands DO swallow him whole. Once inside, the demon finds himself arrhe foot of Thala-m'kudan, which towers impossibly huge inside an infinite gray radiance, [he. space outside space. To leave, the demon must use Find Path again [0 see [he exit, then again walk along the path. He then appears beside the empty casket, even if the box has been dosed. PIilILOOOPt1ER' Medieval and Renaissance alchemists were obsessed with the prob lem of crea ring the Philosopher's Stone - a magical tool that could transform lead into gold. base matter into pure spirit. These mortal

·5mm:s

-:

kabbnld

79

sorcerers slaved to the Anaunaki,

and tolled for yean to no avail, but

such an item is almost trivial to

was physically crude, bur spiritually pure ~ a metal

with an awakened spirit that responded. to Lilt though ts and will of irs users in a way no mundane metal could. The metal was nor alive otsentie:nt~at least, nor in ways that made sense to mortals - bur ir knew its masters, the Annunaki, and devoted all of its essence
to

create. A Philosopher's Stone (sometimes called a

crucible) is sometimes anactual stone, but lt can just as easily be; made from a por, rod or other item.

It's qui te easy

[0

make a large amounr of any metal

with this relic. Converting lead into gold,. sllver or steel is quite 5 i.tuple- it's <Ill just metal, after all. Can vetting affected meta I.into a more complex material. such

fulfilling d1elr needs,

asplutonium

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or diamond, is more difficult. but Hill

doable. The question is not whether you ern rum a metal hubcap in to gold or mercuryor emerald, it's whar you do with lc afterward .. if all you want is short-term profit, YO!.! can sell the gold, but there are legal steps to doing so thar wili attract attention. You might be able to tum a lump of lead into diamond, but it still needs to be cut and polished befor,e_it's worth.anvthing, And if you've. changed a desk cmamenrinro pure ruby, people will think it's a fake due [Q irs shape. As for plutonium.,. well, you berter have somewhere safe to store it and [usc hope govemrnenr agents don't come crashing through the windows 1'0 confiscate it. MDst Malefactors use these relics to simply change lowquallrv stone into useful steel, me better to build with. Anything more complex or profit-oriented is generally too much. of a headache.

Most of [he rebellion's supplies of s:tir were deStrayed in the Shattering, dispeesed into atoms by the hosr of Heaven, No more couldever be mined or forged, as no vein of metalleft in Creation has a spiri r mat could be quickened into awareness. Yet some stockpiles of 5yir remain hidden from the Host, held against the day that they could be reclaimed. That time isnow, and Malefactors are moving to dig upthe buried caches of black ore and put [hem under lock and key, Syir is eX"tte.m.e~y valuable to the Annunakl, more than gold or diamonds, and those who control 'the supply of irexacc a high price in favors and influence from those who wish to lise it. S),jr is an unusual looking substance. It appears more like coal or carbon than metal, and. iterns made from itt attract the attention of mortal and demon alike. There's also a growing suspicion among Annunaki that long aeons of being unused has affected syir in

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System: A crucible usually possesses a pool of six dice, but some are more powerfal. To use acrucible, the demon merely touches lr to asupplv of metal or stone. Make a Faith roll to acrivatethe relic. If i tsucceeds, the su bstance touched into any other metal or stone of the demon's choosing. Convening the meta! into a simple
material such as steel or glass requires a dliffkuhy 6 rolL Convernng lt in [Q a more camp lex substance raises d:u:l diffkulry by one to three at cltmSrorytel1et'S discretion .. This transformation is permanent. The rellc can affe·ctoglv a number of cubic yards player rolls the rei ic's own dice pool to men convert the

some way ~ rhar the roll I of the metal has grown petulant art being ignored and corrupted by rhestresses of solitude. While it's easy co affect the metal with
evocations,

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haclJ.ash from the syir. which strikes out at me demon wl ih waves of unfflrmed anger and emotional darkness. System: The main use of syir is as a component In
the creation of relics. The metal's spiritual nature

such Infernal. powers can also set off a

makes it ideal for containing, focusing and channeling

the win and power of a demon's evocations. Any relic
that contains a reasonable amount of the metal can ehaunel Stronger, more powerful effects. [f you're u.sin,g the relic-creation system fromtbe Demon Players Golde., syir always counts as a material of Superb suitabiUty. ~fyou prefer the simplersvsremfor Enchant Object in Demon rulebook, using syir reduces the l\urnbeTof successes needed to create an item. If you we more syir in therel!c~ to the point where half or more of me artifact is made from the metal ~ then. the difficulty of the Enchant Object evocation decreases by one, as does the d iflkulty of the Faith or Willpower roll needed to activate the finished relic. It's also possible co craft· objects direcdy fro III $)!ir, a\ though doing so is wasteful. Using the Shape Object evocation. a Malefactor can form a lump of syir mro whatever she wants, as long as it's a purely meralllc item (swords are a popular oprionl. The ilifficulry of me evocation decreases by one, and [he resulting

of material.equal
and it

if mere's more material in.the obj,ec[ thanean be affected

will aff~ct

only a discrete amoul"~t.of marenat

to

the successes generaeed by the [OU,

Malefacxor must know the Lore of. the Earth and me Lore of the Fundament, as well.asthe Lore of r.b~ Forge.

at one time, the evocation simply (ails. The crucible can be used cnlveaee per scene. To make a crucible, a

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5qm

It was the black ur-metal, First Qre-a crude, rough metal shaped by the bare hand5 of the Annunaki, The demons called i.uyir and knew it to be valuable beyond words. for while oilier metals existed during the

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Tlme orAb'ociti:es, thefh:.st s.iimpleores and alloys forged bv mortals (with Seberru assistance), .ryir had somern.ing no normal metal possessed ~ a soul. Syi'T

80

item is of exceptional qualtry and may have other advantages at the Storyteller's discretion. (For exarnple.a sword made from syir does aggrava ted damage, rather than letnal.) If the object is further improved wid, the. Enhance Object evocation, [he difficulty of rhm evocation also decreases by one. For all its useful qualities, there are drawbacks to syir

as well. The ur-rnetal is crude and

GUillot

in a mundane fashion, it's actually less useful than simple steel.Increase the difficulty of any mundane Crafts or Technology roll for working with s'jir by two. Any evocation roll made to affect syir (suchas Enchant Object) will botch on a 1 f/I"

by modern forging methods. If crafted

be. improved

2, and each. botch inflicts a point of temporary T ormenr

upon the character using the black metal. TtIE BROKEN fuourm Few Malefactors like to dweJl on how this relic was firsr created or how it was used. It was invented by Adrarnelech, an Annunaki of the Ebon Legion, during the Time of Atrocities. A rapacious monster with a love of bloodshed, Adramelech took mortals prisoner and made them fight for his amusement in gladiatorial

TH:E (][JAR flJOH..50r

games. When he became bored with seeing mortals murder each other, he put wild animals into the pits to
[ear them apart. Wh,en he grew bored with that, he

developed the Warriors of the Broken Ground. It gave

him no end of slckamusemene to See mortals stumble into an arena rhat seemed empty, only to see armed warriors arise from the soil itself to attack. them. He

laughed and laughed as (be ffiOlioolsflailed ineffectually against the stony, lmpassi ve warriors W 0 would butcher [he hapless humans where they stood. When Adrarnelech was destroyed by Kinklrsi Gf

the Crimson Legion during the Long Maroh" few Annunakt mourned his passing. Htsflghdngautoma[ems, too weak to be useful against the forces of Heaven, were dismissed M a novelty andforgorten.In the Creation of today, though, orher Malefactors have re-created the Warriors of the Broken Ground, for the demons of 'to may are weaker, and tbe mortals more dangerous. Unflinching warriors ofstone are a worthy defense against any foe. System: 'The relic rakes the form of a metal cube, six inches OIl each side, that is composed of dozens of metal wires and rods. To use therelic, the owner must place it on an expanse of soil or stone (natural stone, not concrete), or bury it a few inches deep in the earth. Activating it requires a successful Faith roll and then all. expenditure of Faith points, ffO'm one point to a maximum amount equal to the successes generated by the Faith. roll, (Mon.al users require a successful Willpower roll and must spend Willpower points.) For each point of Faith spent, a warrior forms from the cube. The

wires and rods of the cube connect ro form a crude humanoid framework, which then pulls in [he surrounding earth and stone to flesh it out. The warriors rise from the earth, leaving the ground beneath them broken and tom apart. Warriors look like crude, roughhewn. statues of naked humans, with. stones and pieces of metal protrudingat random from theirearthen flesh. Each warrior is an independent automaron with a simple, crude intelligence suited for nothing except combar, It has a rating of 1 in intelligence, Wits and Perception, and it has no Social Amibutes or Willpower raring. The aeeivazor of the relic can command each warrior verbally, but can give only simple commands such as, "Artackthe manwith the gun.t'and the warrior'S will follow mat command until given new orders. The Physical Attributes of the warriors are based on the relic's dice pool. (Most have a pool offive or six dice, but some may have larger pools at the Storyteller'S discretion.) The warriors have a base rating of 1 in each Attribute .111e Storyteller then rolls the relic's pool and acids the successes ro each of the Physical Attributes, up to. a limit of 5. The warrior also has a rating in the Brawl Ability equal to me successes of the roll and a number of health levels equal to the successes plus the warrior's Stamina rating. The warrior soaks lethal damage with its fun Stamina pool, and it suffers no penalties for wounds, It: attacks with in; stony fists, which inflict Strength + 1 lethal damage. If a warrior suffers enough damage to destroy it, it falls apart into a heap of dirt and rocks, but the relic can re-create ie the next time it: is activated. If all of the warriors created at one time are destroyed, however, the relic is ruinedand cannot be used again. The cube can be aetivated oruy once per scene, and the warriors will return ttl the earth once mere are no more opponent'> for nhem to attack,
To builds set ofWarr,ors of

a Malefacrcr must have knowledge of the Lore of the Fundament" Lore of Awakening.and the Lore of the Earth, as well as the Lore of the Forge.

me Broken

Ground;

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TE.S5Eru\CT<lErmnJ\T01,,\j
These unusual relics were invented by the Malefactor Oriax shordv after she returned from the Abyss. A Recon.ciler, Oriax came to believe that violence was a trap, an immor-al practice that could only draw l:J.emons back [0 Hell, Unfbrtunately, she was also being hunted by a pack of angtf Raveners who 'were wholeheartedly in favor of violence and weren't prepared 1:0 stop and! debate principles with her. Oriax needed a tool tffu.:r could slow'lm,."d tmmobilize her attackers without harming them omethin~ mat would affect multiple demons, but with an effect that she could avoi1d.. What she created Was a Tesseract

HI

UO[SI!.SUF ·TUf~FALLE.'

Generacor-e- a device that temporarily scrambles the fabric of space in the surrounding area, making it impossible to HIOVe normally Within that area, space isn'tsimplv bent or ripp ted, ir's completely broken. While space within an object or person is unaffected -organs don't suddenly exist in a separate space from the. rest of [he body every ~ew feet of space outside those objects becomes disconnected from the space surrounding it and connected to.a random area of space somewhere else in the area. Normally, the space in front of you connects to the space beside you, but now it connects. to an area across the mum. Any attempt to move into [he space in frOnt of vou will throw you across rhe room instead. Imagine space as 8i. completed jigsaw puzzle. WeLl, the generator breaks the puzzle up and scatters the pieces at random.Hyou'recaught inside the area of effect , space becomes an incomprehensible puzzle. Try to walk toward something, and you find voursejf walking in a differenr direction, hitting an invisible wall of inert space or being thrown in a random direction .. If you throw an object at your target, tt'll suddenly veer

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successes rolled for the generator's effects). The character can move an additional yard in the direction she wishes to go for each success gained. Evocation mils do not suffer an increase in diffi.

culty, but any e vocation that has. aphysicaleffect

(such

as movement or targeting an opponent with a ph ysical attack) muse gain more successes on evocation roll than [he successes of the relic's dice pool or else fail. Botches become very dangerous within the area of effect Most botches will involve the character's actions tunning back on himself, as the path of lus gun's buller curves back to him or be throws hunself bodilv to the ground when trying to run. The only way to avoid the effects of [he generator is to move out of [he area, which is very difficultunless [he character can perform the Find Path evocation. of the Lore of Paths. Everyone. else will have to slowly struggle free, or wait until the fabric of space settles down again. This happens after a number of minutes equal to [he successes on the relic's dice pool.

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sideways or vanish and reappear across the room, moving in a different direction; Oriax's first Tesseract Generator was a shoddy thing cobbled together from copper wire and old physics textbooks, but it did the job and protected her from her pursuers. She's continued perfecting the design and reachingfriendlv Annunaki how [(I create the relics - a process that requires knowledge of the Lore of Paths and the Lore of the Fundament, as wen as the Lore of the Forge. While loy aIry to her House has. stayed her from teaching demons of ocher Houses the secret, she has made a number of generators and given [hem [Q fellow Reconcilers as a rion-vtolentmeans of defense. Thosefew Reconcilerswhn possess generators [end to use them as,a meansof last resort, for QOlITLe of themknow the Lore of Paths; and the.yJre just as vulnerable to me generator's power as their e:ne:mfl';S. System: When activated, a Tesseract Generator
warps space all;random in the immediate area, Out to a

0-rOI"re0CIUDTURJ:' Even before fall, [he Artificers made up the most insular House, and they worked with their own brethren far more than they did with other angels. To

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radius equal 1;0 the acti vating charac tefs E'.a:itb rating In yards (wmpower rating for mortal users). The Storyteller rolls a dice pool for the Tesseract Generator's effects - most generators have a pool of six ~1"t:e,but some may be more powerfirl, Every physical action ~mempted within [he area of effect ~dm)wing a punch, shooting a gun" il!ggling, dodgin_ga blow-·· has its djfficulty increased by the number of successes
rolled. Movement is also cu rtai led, and characters may 'mov:e only one yard each tum without considerable
effort. A character can try re.move more, but she will find herselfb:em,g thrown arourrder random. T o counter this effect, a Perception roB (difficulty of 6 +

assist in their efforts and better communicate about projects, [he Artificers invented their own language. Th.ey never shared it with the ower angels - not out of secrecy, but simply because it didn't seem necessary .. This language..walS. not a spoken tongue or a written one exactly .Insread, Artificers encoded stones and crystals with their essence, shifting the electrons of [he crystal's atoms and the flavors of iIS spirit to ccrnrnunicate ideas. Anomer Artificer could come across at'). encoded stone, and "read" the variations wi thin as a gl yph of information - a burst of data tha r communicated ideas, diagrams and instructions, After the Fan, [be Anmmaki continued to communicate through stones, in what they came to call the crvsralcode or "sronespeech." With. great effort, they developed a variation on their original language, [0 encode stones in a way their estranged cousins could nor understand. Across Creation, Malefactors encoded

tnforrnatiorr in.to crystals and gemstones, leaving information orwarnlngsfcr their brethren and maintaining the privacy of'their own personaltongue. Aeons later, the Malefactors.still use the crystal codes [Q communicate wi tb other Annunaki, and they keep watch for stones that still contain information fl'OIU [he Age of Wratb that have lain Quietly for centuries. System: Stonespeech is a languageknown only [0 Malefactors, and it must be purchased like any other using the Linguistics Ability. The scripture IE only a

mruce

{~II\ I'TEIIr l'n II tJ:

written language, and demons can only encode messages into crystals and gemstones. (Creation has degenerated [Q the point where simp Ie stone cannot be ericoded.) To impress a message or glyph into a stone, the Malefactor must !hold it in his hand and the player must make a Faith roll. The more successes gained on this roll, the more inforrnat ion cam be encoded into the stone. One success allows for a simple sentence, like, "Sepnidor is. hiding in Los Angeles," Three successes allow for a series of paragraphs, such as a detailed breakdown of a skyscraper's security codes and systems. Five successes allow the demon to encode detailed pictorial information, such as a photograph or schematic that will uafold in the mind ofrhe reader. Encoded stones have a slightly abnormal spiritual shape that Malefactors know bow to recognize. Any Malefactor who sees an encoded crystal may attempt to recognize with a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty 6), Other demons might notice something odd about the stone - Perception + Awareness (difficulty 9) - but they will-not understand the significance. Decoding a crystal message requires a, touch and a successful Faith roll.If successful, the information is unpacked into the Malefactor's mind, The Annunaki jealously guard their secret language. and! other demons are unaware that the crystal code even exists. Even if they discovered it, they could never encode or read messages, since they lack the intrinsic spiritual connection with stone that allows the Malefactors to write their scripture.

Restrictions: The sigil for this ritual must be carved into solid ground, either earth or natural stone

(not concrete). Minimum Casting Time': 49 minutes System.: Roll Strength + Survival, If the roU succeeds, a volcano grows from the ritual's sigil, a massive cone of earth [hat spouts molten lava for a
number of hours equal to the successes gained, The lava. moves slowly in an ever-expanding radius and causes great damage 1:0 the surrounding area. The Ankida cannot control [he spread of lava once the volcano begins to erupt. Each hour, the. radius affected increases by a number of yards equal to 100 times the successes of the ritual. (So with three successes. the lava would spread out another 300 yards each hour.) Almost all objects in the area will be destroyed. including buildings and vehicles, once they come into contact with [he lava. Any character in contact with the lava stlffers a number of lethal damage levels each tum equal to the successes rolled. which cannot be soaked by armor. When the rirua l's effect ends, the volcano crumbles in on itself and the lava cools unnaturally quickly, leaving behind a lake of coarse, brittle stone about an hour later. Torment: The high-Torment version of-this ritual produces Iava stearning with corruption and radioactive toxins, jetting from the volcano high into the air. The corrupt lava expands much faster than normal The radius affected increases by a mile each hour, regardless of successes rolled for the evocation, When the ritual ends, the lava stays hot and will take severa l davs to cool, Furthermore, its corrupt nature poisons the earth be' neath.ir, rendering it permanently toxic and polluted" Variationse One version of this ritual also produces a cloud of smoke and ash that jets from the volcano. blotting out all Hght for a number of miles around equal tothe successes rolled. Add Lore of [he Winds ••• '[Orne secondary lore requirements,

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RITUM.S
As all tl ined in Chapter Six of the Demoo. P I,ayers Guide, rituals are complex evocarions that combine multiple bodies of Lore to produce new and powerful effects, Rituals were developed during the, last days of the Age of Wrath as a weapon to use against the Host of Heaven, The Annunaki have always focused more on physical tools and relics, and they had little to do with the invention ordevelopment of ritual evocations, Still, [he House possesses knowledge of some secret rituals, rarely sharing them with allies in other Houses.

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'loLCi\.r"!O
The Malefactors were not created to control fire, but they worked hand in hand with the Heralds before

the Fall, crafting me lava underpinnings and 'molten heartoftheeanh. With this ritual, the Ankida and her

assistants can rekindle the planet's burning blood, bringing ina [he earth's face-there. to erupt, spewing molten lava and rivers of fire our onto the surface. Primary Lore: tore of [he Earth ••••• Seconda'ry Lore: Lore of Harne '. •

from the Ankida, The ritualis forused on an isemthat belongs to the pesson I:)eipgsought and that has a degree of stgnificance-s- car keys, a lock ofhair,a favorite shin and so on, The ritual creates a path through the spirit realms, bypassing the physicaJ world and exiting bad< into reality lust behind the person being hunted, The Ankida Gill step onto the path, travel quiclcly through the spirit world and appear behind her QUarry in a matter "of
minutes, no matter where he mightb.e.

This ritual, is used to track down missing persons or demons=-whether they are sim:ply lost or actively hiding

tlcmTrn'.s~qW?\ll

Base Cost: 14

Primary Lore: Lore of Paths •• Secondary Lore: Lore of [he Firmarnent'"

of [he Realms •
II

.Lore

BUl SEll OF 'I'll Ii: F \.LlEl';

Base Cost; 18 Restrictions: The item used as a focus must be placed in the center of the ritual's sigil.
Minimum Casting Time: 36 minutes but not

System: Roll Wits + Survival. If the ritual sueceeds, a pathway visible to ali the participants
to

System: Roll Charisma + .Crafts (difficulty 7). Success means that the item 's spiritual nature is permanently altered, making it a storehouse for Faith. The chalice can hold a maximum number of temporary Faith points equal to the successes gained on the evocation. To place Faith into a chalice, the wielder

observers appears leading from the sigil, and facitng from view a few yards away. If someone :follows [he
path, she' passes into the spirit realm. From the outside, she simply fades from view, while from her' perspective, she moves down a Luminous, misty tun-

nel surrounded by darkness" Movement along the path is not instan taneous, It takes a 'base 0[10 minutes, minus one minute for each success on the ritual roll, to teach the other end and exit back into reality. The traveler appears just behind the. person being hunted, who will probably be taken by surprise" He must gain more successes Oil a Perception + Awareness roll than the successes of the ritual to notice his pursuer arrive. Once the traveler exits the path, it collapses; and she must find her own way back to the ritual site if she wishes to return. Torment: The high- T orment version appears to work as norma l, but it is actually far more dangerous. The pathway actually stays open fora number of hours equal to the successes rolled - hours in which anvghostor spiru rhathappens LIpan thepath through the realms can exit at either-end and wreak havoc .. Variations. None CtL~UCEorr7\IT!1 Faith is the lifeblood of the fallen, a precious commodity that becomes even mote valuable because of its scarcity. Faith can only be generated by
and it cannot be stored, preserved or channeled to another demon - or so most mortal worshippers,

makes a Fai th roll (difficulty 7). Each success transfers a point from her temporary pool to chalice, Withdrawing Faith works in a similar fashion. 1l'\1! user makes a Faith roU (difflculrv 7), and each.success draws a point from the chalice into character's pool, up to his normal limir. The chalice can only be used once in each fashion per scene (one deposit, one withdrawal). Chalices have a very unusual spiritual nature, and they stand out to a demon's supematurai awareness (difficulty 7 [IiJ detect), but the observer

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will only know what the item actuallvdces by gaining five successes on a detection roll. Tormenrs The higb- Torment version of this ritual creates a poisoned chalice, a relic that taints whatever Faith it conta i ns ..Whenever a demon dra \'IS
Faith from a tainted chalice, he gains a point of temporary Torment for each Faith point he takes. Variations: None

TIle Annanakt crafted an entire planet with their bare hands, but they no longeI have a say in how that world operates. They see the human race as a creation tha .can be improved and perfected, but mey can never truly know huw mortals think and feel.
Malefacrors are multifaceted beings who mix an ~. tujtive knowledge of physical matter with fantastic supernatural power and a persistent difficulty in urrderstanding human beings, Creating a Malefactor character is not always an easy task, so this section offers ideas and advice on designing an Annunaki who's flln and effective in play.

demons believe. The Malefactors, though, know differently, for [hey made an lncredible discovery in the dosing hours of the Shattering - a ritual that could
store

Faith in an. object! The ritualtums

iii

specially

prepared item into a r:halice, or storage vessel, by making its spiritual. nature "sttckv." Faidl is attracted to the cha lice and remains trapped in i-:rs gravity until drawn out by a demon. Chalices ean be any kind of small item {some are CLIpS but jewelry is also common) • and the ir existence is a secret known 'to few. Primary Lore: lore of the Forge '. '"'"• • Secondary Loees Late of Celesttals ••• '•• Base Cost: 2.0

CONCEPT
are particularly appropriBuilder: Every Malefactor is a being created to create -3 former angel given life by God in order co build. craft and give form co Creation. The urge ro

ace for Malefactors.

The followingconcepts

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build, to

Restrictions: The item to be affected must be placedln.1:h~ Center of the ritual's slgiLTl"LL<; item must be specially prepared byrne Ankicla ahead of time.

building blocks of the world is a drive chat consumes

craft,

to make

something

new from

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Miri:imum Casting Time: 100 minutes

many ofrhe Annunaki. These demons think about little other building and creating new relics, tools or other concrete artifacts, and they gravitate toward mortal hosts with the same mindset, Such mortals

man

CU·IJYf Ell Tnlll£E

might include carpenters, inventors, architects, auto mechanics, gunsmiths or junkyard proprietors. Whi~e [he pragmatic Annunaki have little interest inan, they might find themsel ves drawn. toward sculptors or artists who work in "practical" media. Investigator: Some Malefactors are consumed with the need [0 gather informacion, data and experimental results, the better to understand Creation. Reality is a great machine, an. engine that was once perfect but is now corroded and faulty. Only by learning as m uch as possible about Creation, humanity andthe plans of the Creator can the problems be isolated, comprehended and fixed. Annunaki with this mindset feel an affin ity with humans who IOoOk for answers and concern themselves with [he practical question of "How?" rather than the theoretical question of "Why?" Possible hosts include engineers, doctors, insurance investigators, forensic scientists, archeologists or journalists. Teacher: Whi]e many Malefactors prefer to work with solid, dependable substances like stone or metal, others dedicate themselves ro forging humanity itself. Human beings were the greatest creation of the angels, but these Annunaki think that mortals are not yet finished. They believe that human condition can be surpassed, [he mortal soul enlightened. With words and lessons, protection and punishment, these demons seek to make humanity benet (whatever that means). When they escape He II, these demons are drawn to the bodies of mortals who work~ ro tmRrove~hetr fellow humans. - nor just schoolteachers, but also chit! sergeants, motivational speakers, med icais~ientists, artists, guerrilla leaders; social reformers or prophets.

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they tMnk they are. For every teacher with a Caregi ver, Direc tor, Judge or Visionary N arure - personalities that focus on. workingwirh mortals-s- there's also one with a Nature of Autocrat, Bravo, Pedagogue or Perfecrionlst, reflecting someone who tries to work OLl mortals as if they were recalcirrant machines,

lnvesngators rend

to

be practical, like all Male-

factors, but also curious - consranrl y working 1:0 gain more and more information, but only if that information can be u..se)iin some way. Unlike the dreamers of the Neberu, Annenakl investigators want results and hard dacafrom rhelrquesring, and they will only keep hunting down inform.J;lti . n until they have enough to work with. These M.atefactors tend to have Conniver, CllrIDlildgelM\1 J uege, Loner, Pedagogue or Survivor Natures - personalities interested ln.imrnediare answers and how to apply those answers.

N2\TURE1\ND DEt\E1\NOn
dark urges of Torment, Maletactors tend to have
strong, dependable

Stolid and practical, even when consumedby the personalities, that focus on imme-

diate goals and sensible methods.

Builders are particularly interested :in methods ~ the way you build a tool can be as inrerestinga procedure as what you do with it when it's done. They also care about resul £S,. of course. Experimentation is impertanr, but producing sound work is even more so. These characters often have such N atures as Architect, Com-

It's rare to f'md a Malefactor who becomes irnmersed in mortal emotions and interactions, even among those who teach mortals. The Annunaki are
roo level-headed, and too afraid of their own feelings, to indulgethat aspect ofrheir personalities" For that reason, it's very rare to find a Malefactor with an

petitor, Director, Perfectionist or Survivor, reflecting (heir interest ill hard work and u.seful outcomes. Teacher Annunaki come from a similar angle ~
a desire to build and perfect, with interest in. both methods and outcomes- but the difference is their need to work with marta Is. Understanding of humans comes hard to Malefactors, and those who choose to work toward perfecting the human race tend to be more SOcially focused than their fellows. Or at least

Addiet, Borr Vivant, Gallant, Thrill-Seeker or Trickster Nature. These Arc he tvpesare DOO frivolous and dangerous for most Annunaki, to contemplate. whether or nor. it matches their personality. Some Annunaki, especially those with faw,spdaI skills or

MaJefacrar.smay

have any kind of Demesne»,

aptitudes, have the same (or 2 very sirn:llar) Demeanor

1I10USJoii OF rUE

F UtE\

to their Nature. These plain-speaking demon have Little truck with rna ks, and they expect others [Q be as up-from as themselves. More socially adroi t Annunaki - particularly teachers or others who work closely with mortals - find it useful [0 disguise their true elves under a more socially acceptable (or simply more likeable) seeming. Only a few Annunaki maintain a radically different Demeanor from their Nature, simply because it's so much work for the demons of this emotionally scarred House. Those whod tend to have a definite need to rnaintaina strong disguise, perhap to avoid enemies or backlash over their experiments.

lore for builders, especially tho e wailing in stone. It:' also good for combat-oriented character, such 1Ui teachers who need to protect their students. Lore of the Forge: Most demons mink o:f the
Annunaki tions primarily as relic-builders even though

only a few have mastered this lore. All of the evoca-

of this lore revolve around making and perfecting

mundane or supernatural tools, while the M urnrnu

visage gives combat powers and advantages for building. This lore is ldealfor anv Malefactor, but especi ally builders. It's also great for teachers who wish to give

PRlf\J\_Rl..ILoRE
You usually choose the primary lore (and mus. visage) of your character toward the end of characret-generation proces , after choosing Attributes and Abilities. It's worth thinking about character; primary lore before yol.1 assign a ther traits, however. Primary lore and visage have a significant effect upon the character's abilities and style, and some character COIlcepts will suit particular lore paths more than others, Lore of the Earth: This lore has :3 number of applications - it allows movement and the shaping of raw stone, and it has combat applications as well. The Kishar visage is primarily combar-oriented, bur it also allows for fears of strength. This. is a good primary

tools and relics to their followers. Lore of Paths: The subtlest lore of the Annunaki, it still gives the user almost limitless options for travel,
movement or stealth. The powers of the Antu visage are also somewhat focused on travel and stealth - the Antu can pass through a crowded room without being een and conceal a t len item while under floodlights. This is a perfect primary lore £ r investigators, who can use it to gain access to ecrets no matter how they're hidden. It has less potential for builders or reachers.

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]\. TTIUBUTE:5
P]itI 5K1\L Physical Attributes are very useful (Q Malefactors, especially bu ilders, who rely on fine manipulation.

Inlbll

..-_~ __
6

.-._III

Such characters will benefit from taking Physical Attributes as their second priority, as will investigators who comb 10:;;[ tombs or crime scenes for informaticn. Teachers, on the ather hand, need stronger social skills, and will probably have Physical Attributes as their third priority. Strength is key co the Kishar, as. itgoverns all the eVOC3[Lons of the Lore of the Earth. The Kishar also become capable of great feats of streogrh in their apocalyptic form. Dexterity is vital for builders, who need to keep a steady hand when working (he inrricare derails oftheir creations-s- this especiall y appll es to the Mummu, as Dexterity playsa part in [he major evocations of the Lore of the Forge. Stamina benefits all characters, especially in combat, but is less necessary than the other fWO - particularly for the Kishar and MlI.mIDu, who gain increased Stamina and defenses in their apocalyptic form.

practical ones), who need to process and analyze information of all kinds, whether building a relic or deconsrrucring a business plan. Perception and Wits are of roughly equal use [Q the character. A high Perception.helps your character gather and sift through information, while a high W its keeps her quick on the uptake and enhances the artistic perfection of her creations. Perception is particularly useful to the Anru, as itmodifies two of (he evocations of [he Lore of Paths.

?\5ILITIES
Ti\LERT.5
T alents are practical Abilities that get used often in day~[Q-day life. They're very usefu! to 'the pragmatic, sensible Annunaki, although not as much as Skills. Talents should be the secondary Ability group for most Malefactor characters. Bunders benefit from a good racing in Expression, since it helps them make their creations more beautiful and for all their practicality. the Annunaki care deeply about beauty {as long as it's useful). Awareness and Intuition are also both important .. Builders need to be aware of supernatural forcesrhat can be tapped and used in the ir creat ions. Investigators toO need good ratings in Awareness and Intuition, bur also in Alertness, if they wane to d iscern as much information as possi hie. They might also benefit from ratings in Streetwise and Subterfuge if they're dealing with mortal sources of dam. Teachers rely on Empathy, Expression and Subterfuge to deal with their Followers, but most of all they need good ratings in Leadership. Practical, hands-on knowledge, ramer than theory, is the fane (')f the Annunaki. and that's what Skills represent in Demon. Malefactor characters almost always have Skijls as their primary Ability group, because these Abilities will be the moot useful ones for the character in the chronicle. Ooviously, most Malefactors have a high rating in Crafts. Willie builders usually have at least three dots (if nor more), almost all characters w illhave at leasr a dot or tWo. Builders also benefit from. having high ratings in Technology, allowing them to understand and repair mundane devices. Teachers use Btiguette and Pertormatlcepo communicate with ties they're trying to teach. their students. Investigators can LIse Security and St:ealth tn gain access to p1"Otected irummation, and possibl y Etiquette to convlnee others to provide data. Regardless a ooflcept, many Malefactors have good ratings in MeLee·and often gain dots in Firearms as well. They were warrlors and

SOCI1\L
Since the dawn of Crear ion, the Annunaki have been plagued by their dlfficulty in understanding the minds and personalities of mortals. and even of other demons. Malefactors understand stone and metal perfecriy, bur social interaction is a confusing and unknowable thing for most Annunaki. Few Malefactors have high Social Attributes, and it's the third priority for most characters ..The exceptions are teachers, who need to be able to communicate effectively with their pupils, and those Invesngarors who seek inforrnation from witnesses and experimental suO-jeers. Of the Social Attributes, Mal1lpulation tends to be the highest for AmlUna.!<i characters, as many have learned the tricks of using mortals like tools. It's difficult to inspire trust or friendship, but it's easier to lie, (rick 0[; intimidate humans into doing what you Want. High ratings In Charisma are urxornrnon, since that trait requires a degree of empathy and force of personalitvtew A nnu 11ak i can master. Appearance is rarely high, unless the demon is possessing an atrracti ve humanhcst-s-and even then, the Attribute can end up dropping, as the Malefactor ignores pointless mortal distractions like makeup, fashion or even personal hygiene.

5KILLS

f\ErqT7\L
Malefactors are perhaps not the wisest of the Sebettu - that honor probably goes to the Fiendsbut they are among the smartest of the demons. Wi th their need to gather knowledge and apply that knowledge, and their drive to understand all the engines of Creation (including humanity}, the Annunaki focus heavily on their intellectual capabilities. Most Malefactors have Men tal Attrlbu res as theirprimary group. Of the Mental Attributes, Intelligence is almost always the most usefu L Malefactors are th inkers (albei t

theirpl'lptls, and'need goodraringa in whatever Abili-

soldiers in the Age of Wrath, and they invented the very idea of weap my. All the evocations of the Annunaki revolve around

VmTUES
by Virtues. They make choices and mainly on what's usefu.l, nor what's This pragmatism can be helpful, but Iirtle protec don from the dangers ofT
are nor overly burdened decisions based right or mora], it also provides ormen t and sin, and too many Malefactors succumb to their inner darkness while in pursuit of knowledge. Ofthe three Virtues, Conviction tends to be the highest for Malefactors. Whlte not always burdened by morality, the Annunaki rarely lack for dedication or an understanding of the workings of Creation. Courage is usuaHy next highest. While Annunaki are rarely fearless. their curlosi ty usuall 'i overrides any timidity or caution. Conscience is most often the weakest Virtue for Malefactors, wh can become oblivious to the painofo hers when focused nag al, Even [he most moral teacher might perform dark experiments on her students in the cause of perfecting the human race. Many of the Annunaki

Skills - specifically Crafts (for the Mummu) and Survival (for the Aruu and Kishar). Characters who don't have good ratings [n Survival or Crafts will be
very limited in their evocations. Don't shortchange the e Skills unless doing so is absolutely vital to your character concept"

I<;f'IO{JJLED Ge.5
Knowledges make up the lea
t

important

Ability

groupfcrrnost.Malefactors. The Annunakiare intelligent and killed, bur nor necessarily learned.Thev care much more abourinformarionthar has immediate and practical applications than about book [earning and theory. Yet
several Knowledges are still useful co Malefactors, For builders who work with technological devices, Science is very useful, as itsComputer. Teachers can gather new students and followers. using their knowledge of Occult, Politics or Religion. And for investigators, the lnvestigarion and Research Abilities ar vital, while Linguistics opens access to new libraries of information.

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131\CKGROUrIDS
While all Backgrounds can be useful in play, the following are generatly those most useful to Malefac ors. Contacts: Builders use their contacts 11.0 find new materials and tools, whi le investiga tors draw on them as a source of information. Followers: Teachers will usually be surrounded by their students, pupils and worshippers, while builders and investigators can both benefit from having assistants. Legacy: Fur investigators, suong memories of the Age of Wrath can provide vi al dues to under randing events in the modem world. Pacts: It takes a great deal of Fai to creat a relk; and bu ilders desperately need to establish I?'!Ct5 to rovide that Faith. Creators also 'need pacts, so tl_1at they Can channellFaiIDlnto impro:ving the abilities .;>fthejr'thralls. Paragon: One bungled evocation can destroy or irrevocably corm r a relic, so builders will gain alot of benefit from this Background, Resources: Whether it's buying pans for a erearion, finding housing and equipment for followers or sfungly bri bing sources Qftnfurmarion~ all.Malefactors can benefit from access to ready casli, Many Malefactors have posirtons of influence and power in the infernal court, represented by Eminence. Pew of them, however, possess the social

If yo I.! haven't already decidedon vourcharacter's primary lore, now is me time to do so. Once you've decided, you need to assign clot ro that lore, and possibly others, to gam evocations for the character.

LoRE

LoI\ e.Of Tl1r.EMTtI

For builders of the Kishar vi age" it's worthwhile

putting all three dots into the Lore of the Earth, which gains YOLI tl'lie Mold Eard'l evocation. (This ev arion all w you to creat Or remake a st ne structure.) Further dots are useful for self-defense, but they won' aid in creating or building things.
Kishar investigators probably don't need to go thar far, and instead should jut take two dots of [he lore. This gives you Earth Meld, which provides

protection and enhanced movement (at the cost of T onnenr), and Roil the Earth, which is a grea twa y of
turning up buried secrets. Teachersdon'rgain a lor of useful abilities from [he Lore of the Earth. They can use the evocations to fight for themselves or their students, but mar's about it.

LoREOrTtr f'OrlliE
This is the lure most assoc lated with the Malefactors, and it's one of the most flexible and useful bodies of lore available. Unfortunately, it's als a difficult lore to get the most advantage from, especially at character creation.Ir's possible ItO gain four dots in the lorewith freebie points, gaining rhe incrediblv useful Enchanr Object evocation - bur what can you do with id Before your character can make enchanted items, he also need to know other bodies of lore-

abilltvneeded

to mainrainpowerm

mortal society, so
are. rare.

good ratings in Fame or Influence

otherwise aU he. can produce: are relics that produce [he effects of the Lore of [he Forge. You can gain one

dot from another Lore with the rest of your freebie

points ~ which allows yOU! character to make relics that use that lore -. but his Farrh rating wit! stiLl be' .low, and he might not be able to spare the Faith points to create the relics he now knows how to make. By and large, it's probably best [Q forg,er about gaining Enchant Objeci: at character creation, Save it for a hit later in the chronicle, when your character has a grounding in other bodies of lore and a high. enough Faith rating 1:.0 create fun and useful relics. With mat said, any character who takes this as his primary lore should definitely sink all three lore dotsinto ir, giving him [he Enhance Object, Act! vate Object and Shape Object. TI1ar's a combination of evocations thar
l1!UOW

who fight with enhanced or enchanted melee weapons. MfluipulateAdheSRon isn't as immediarely useful, and it would require freebie points to acquire that could better be spent elsewhere. Teachers and investigators sheulddeflnitelv consider putting dots-into the Lore of Humanity, which can go a kmgway roward alleviarmg the weaker social skills of most A:rmunaki ..T ranslate ~suseful for invesrigarors, since it improves their communication skills and ability to gain infcrmarionfrom mortals. Teach. ers ni.ight want to consider the benefits of spending freebie points to gain (he Insinuate evocation, which can grleady improve the character's Manipulationbased rollsagainst her mortal followers.

fREEBLEPOll'qT5
Faith is exrremely useful to Malefactors. and

him to take any object, r-eshape It

i.11.tQ

a useful

item, thenenhance

it into a perfectly suited tool. This.

vual [or characters who want to make enchanted be spent during the enchantment process, and if the characrer's Faith is low, she may nor be able to afford ro create the relics she deslres. Faith is also useful to characters who get into fights" since it can be spent to heal wounds. It's certainly worth considering
buying an extra. point of Faith for YOlIT character, taking her total to a more flexible fGur points. More points might not be rhar useful at character ererelics. Such relics require large quantities

also puts your eharacrer in a good position for learning

Enchant Object later in the chronicle. Non-Mummu Annunakl characters should still consider taking one doc in this torero gain Enhance ObjeclL1l1e minor rei lcs created by this evocation can give .any character a significant edge, especially in combar,

o-fraith to

Lear, 0]" P7\TtlS

This unusual lore offers

strong posslbilides

to

investigator Malefactors, especiallvthose who rake if as their primarv. Antu investlgarors shouldriefinitelv put two dO[8 into the. [ore, givin them the Lay Path
evocation, which allows them toaccess tocltedroams, reach bUTied redoubts or even walk tl.uough walls by manipulating space. Putting an extra dot into the lore grants the Conceal Path evocation, which is useful but not essentia I. It's best: for stealth y characters who place a premium on nor being followed, while other characters can place that thirdlore dot elsewhere. Teachers and builders get less benefit from the Lore of Paths, since rheireforrs are focused on working With their chosen material (human or inanimate), rather than moving about efficiently.If you're playing SUdl a character, yOll should probably choose ad:ifferem primary lore.

arion, and th.ey can probablybe gained later with expeaierice points instead. Like Faith, Willpower is very useful to the Annunaki, because it can he spent to permanently enhance mundane objects via the Enhance Object evocation. If your character has that evocation (and
it's

worth pickigg 'UP)" it's definitely worm spending

irn,prov ing

Ieasnsix. Lf your character doesn't have Enhance Objeer, Willpower is stili Llseful as a source of automatic suCG.eSSe5- e.spedlally for but lders who wanr to perfect
their luundanc creanons - but it probably doesn't need to be:improved by more than a peinr or [WOo Butlders with. fr·eebie poirus left over should defi-

some freebies on

her W i.llpower raring

::1[

COi"\J'iofiLor~E
It was the House of the Fundament thas develback was young and passed thar knowledge to the rest oftlne Heavenly Host. l.Insurprisingly, many A.:rmunaki still retain knowledge of this lore, which can be usefu! fOT any Malefactor who enters combat. Manipulate Gravity increases battlefield mobthry, wh.ich is particularly useful for characters when Creation

nitely improve their Crafts

oped the core of the Lore of the Fundament

They are the Malefactors most likely

to ger [he informatIon they need.

posslblv irnpr e their Dexterity :md consider buying more dots in Paragun. Teachersrnight wane to Improve welr Manipulation or Charisma Attributes, increase their tatings in LeadellShipor Empatbyor simply gain more students ~ buying more.d.ors in.Followers. lnvestigarors should consider increasing Wirs and Perception andpcsstblv increasing rheircombar-relared Abilities.
00 endup

and:r echnology

Abilities,

fightitJt

No, from the srar3 do I my judgment pluck And ye~ meminks Ihave a.ltTonomy, But norto reUof good or evil luck, Of plague,S, of dearths, or seasons' quality;

-WiHiam

Shakespeare,

Sonner XIV
Aftel' the firmament was formed, Godcalled forth the a\lgels of the Thlrd House and commanded them

God moved across the blackness of the void and

said, "Let there be light." With those words the angels

were born, and the Host surrounded the Creator, proclaiming His glory. From their number He named His Heralds, and the Creator revealed co them the

Grand Design of the cosmos. The angels of the First House would bear God's vision in their souls and harness the energies of the Host to fulfilling their Creator's plan ..They kindled the fires of Creation and lunned the boundaries of the unformed cosmos,

[0 make form out of formlessness, harnessing the fires of the FirSt Howe and thevitalitv ofme Second House to flU the emptiness wlm shape and substance. :fbeir hands molded eM planets in ali their varied forms,

carving

mountains: and vaUey,s- and smoothing out

grea;tplatnslili.e

blank, inviting canvases,

And then. terthe boundaries Ofthec.osrnoswere set, and the heavens separated fromtheearth ..God Then. God turned to the Host and called fIl:!)m turned to die Host and piCked from their number the angels of the rmm:h Hoose. "Behold," the Creator their number 'the angels of the Second House,

ana

commanded

them to breathe life into every comer of

the universe. They stirred the primordial gases with the bearing of their great wings and laid me foundations of the firmament,

said. and the FOImh House stood at:the Creator's slde and saw all the wonders rheirpredecessers had wrought. They considered the stars, and the worlds hung like
jewels in the emptiness,

"Behold ," God said again, and the angels of the Fourth House looked deeper still, and saw how each aspen of Creation was made to Ref upon all those surrounding it. The stars were made to act upon the wealds that surrounded them. which in tum allowed the worlds to alter their fearures arid act upon everything that rested upon their surfaces, They saw beyond the works of their brethren. and discovered the relationships that knit [hem ro ge rher in an ever-expanding web of acricnand reaction, cause and effect. The universe was more than mere existence. It bad a pu.rpose. A function. The angels of the Fourth House cried our in
wonder, and Creator commanded, "Set their mo[ions and mark the workings of all mac I have made,"

The angels of the Fourth House bern themse lves to the task the Creator had given them ~ nor with
Fireand thunder,

scattered throughout

but with silent contemplation. They the inert cosmos, observing,

recording and calculating. They studied the untapped forces inherent in the fabric of Creation and calibrated them according to the needs of the Grand Design. Finally, after every ou tcome had been considered and [he precise result formulated, T yriel, Throne of the lodtgo Expanse and greatest among [he. angels

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of House, dispatched his brothers and sisters to predetermined points across the breadth of the cosmos. When the last angel reached her appointed place, Tyriel took hold of the restive forces underlying

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TfIE 'fL"\ND5

Or" 12U'E.

of creation, but of regulation. They were, in (I sense, the engineers of the cosmos, working tirelessly to ensure that thecounrless elements ofrhe uni verse worked in harmony with one another. From the orbits of [he planets 1:0 the decay of isotopes, [bey calibrated the inreraerions of [he
cosmos

The mandate of the. Fourth.House

was nor

one

first iteration of a complex formula; on another 3: single, pure musical note. On yet another, it was the sound of metal on metal, the pent-up groan of a machine tau vast for anyone: angel [('I ever fuUV comprehend. The reverberations rippled through the
fabric of reality, touching each angel in rum, who

me cosmos

and

pH-shed. On one level it was the

co conform

to the design

God made ,Where

added their weight behind it and amplified it further. And little by little, gathering momentum with each
successive step, the Grand DeSign came
to

other angels saw the universe as a collection of elements] [he angels of the Fourth House. saw the web of re lationshlps rhar bound [hemal! rogerher. Their werk was performed patienrlv and subtly. Conscious of '[he implications of their every ac[ion, the Angels of the Spheres became masters of

life.

Ol))ECT51N t\.OTION

As the cosmos spuni nto motion, the angels of Fourth House joined in its dance, from the wild gyra[ionsofsubaromic panicles to the stately whirlof

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~Heave11.1yHo~t d1d tln'e work of the Creator. In a sense, cll,is. w-as [1'1IC. 711e· Angels of the Spheres
watched Iwm'rhfng, rn,arkiog the morions of the cosmos as GQd intended and tes.ting each actina for it5·effecum thewhole. They were the firstscholars ,

indirecr influence. They altered seasonal patterns with the beat of a hummingbird's wings half a world away or timed the now ofions from the sun to. alter the orbit of a distant moon, They were artists who wove symphonies of prob;:lbillty into elegant certainty. Viewed from t.be outside, the Fourth House appeared to be a collection of silent observers, watching from the side ltne 5 as the' res!': qf the

vast galaxies. Beneath the light of me ever-watchful

Heralds, the Angels of the Spheres

commandments

remembered the of their Creator and ncted each and every interaction that occurred. Action spawned reaction, growing ill ever more complex irerarions of

cause and effect. The angeb were amazed ar first, but the-ir sense of wonder turned to apprehens ion. before
~ong as the iterarions increased in speed and complexiryand showed no signs of abating, Therefore, T yriel's fin;. command as au tarchofhis House was to focus each angel of his House art maintaining only a per-

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rion of the cosmic record rather

man

have each

the fil!5C'sc:ie(l.rls1:5 and pb IloJiophers. Their t,a sk was rosee beneath the surface of C,.·eaI:ion and ask why rhing.soccUliIed (be way they did and what that meant to rcaHIJIiI as ra whale. The-iJ( 5Ulc~esa was measured b1 :inactLon, their gh~ryrefleoeed in the
seamless or:detr of the ualverse. The seeds of their falllfty In the certainty rhar
every question

individual struggle to reme mher the enrirerv, The Edler oiMemo!),; <IS ir was called, was more than just ;3: feat of organizanon. The Eramewm:k T vriel and his

had but

'8

sin.gle>:rruiwer:.

d~putie.s creseed to record the histerv of [he cosmos had (II consequential impact on the universe j tself, By creattng a system that allowed an outside observer to tr-ace the relationships between disparate. events, the Fourth House laid rhe fouadarions of time ieself, The Eternal Record created by the edict was far from staric, Events in one epocb.creared causal

fJ2

relationships [hat reverberated through adjoining ages. As a result, each angelic historian, or Source, was constanrl y employed updating elements of the record to reflect the links to both past and current events These updates demanded constant communication between Sources, coordinated by T vriel and his chosen deputies, Kusiel.Gemmnor, Ysriel.Abishai, Osir and Asmodeus . Together mey formed the Vigil, acouncil regulating communications among Sources. The laws of me Vigil governed a volatile web of correspondence between Sources that came to be known as the Gyre. The Vigil governed the assignment of new Sources, ensured the constant flow of information along the Gyre and dictated the protocols of communication to maintain accuracv and elarity. It was effic.ient and ruthlessly autocratic, and while it kept the integrity of the Eternal Record perfect, it also consequently ensured that no one member of the House had access [0 the entire record save [he members of the Vigil itself.

In time, the storm of correspondences abated,

settling down into a predictable routine of orbits, periods, constants and seasons, and for a brief time, the Vigil maintained the Grand Design with metronomic precision. Then God turned to the Hose and called from their number the angels of the Fiftb House, and the: V igil found their fragile web pu t to its first test. . . SeIZING THE t\Oi"\E,rIT Until. the moment the Fifth House was born, labor of Host had been to shape order from chaos. Now Angels of the Deep seemed poised 'to upset everything their elders had bulle. The problem with [he Oceamtes was that they broke Irh.erules, They defied easy description - in fact, they defied any sort of description at aiL Where the Fourth House charted the myriad relattonshtps inherent to Creation, the Fifth House was born to create connections where ones never existed before. \">Vbat worse, the Oceanires would break connecwas tions when it suited thern.sometlung that the Angels of rheSpheres regarded w ith horror. The causal storm that Tvriel and the Vigil once wrestled into submission returned with renewed force, fueled by the chimerical Oceanites, and this time the winds of change showed no signs of abating. Almost immediately the angels of the Fourth House detected signs of strain in the Grand Design. In an age of layered realities, a single creation or concept spa wned reactions [hat reverberated in vast, often unpredictable ways. As the Oceanites upset the old order with [heir dance of dreams, Tyriel and the Fourth House were forced [0 take act ion in order

to uphold their mandate from God. Conferring with the Vigil, Tyrie] drafted the Edict of lnstanoe, a command that ordered a third of the House to assume the role of keeping the clockwork order of the cosmos intact. Where the Sources labored to record the events of the past, Diviners were focused on securing the present in accordance with Creator's plan. At first the Diviners hurled themselves into the teeth of the Fifth House's mercurial storm, battling to turn back the tide of creativity and restore the universe to its former precision, but for every tiny restoration they made, a hundred other alterations Tippled through Creation. Reluctantly, Tyriel and the Vigil ordered the Diviners to conserve their energies and focus on actual disruptions of me Grand Design instead of chasing down every little alteration. The change in tactics made the Diviners far more effective, and revealed over time that the cosmos was built with a substantial tolerance for alteration. Indeed, some aspects of Creation seemed to encourage re-invencion or evolution, spawning ever more refined patterns (hat benefited the cosmos as a whole. BefOTe long, the cosmos settled once more into a stead 'f equilibrium, riding out the ripples spawned by me Fifth House under the watchful eyes of the Diviners. and [he Gyre continued to grow. Despite the

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newfound order, however, Tyriel and the Vigil were left [0 consider the implicmions of (hell" newfound knowledge. The universe 8$ they understood it was not static. It was meant to change. Nothing was
certain anymore.
I\.EJwli'iGTltESl@5;

Tyriel and the Vigil did no have IOl1g to cootemplate [he implications of a dynamic universe. The rise (if the Sixth House and tbe spread of plant

and.animal life lnttoduced a vastnew'ser into the Pounh Hou&e's calculations,

of variables

taxing the efforts of the Bivinel!6 to their utmost. The control of information instituted by the Vigil kept the vast majority af the House from. realizing how desperate the situation was. T yrid and his chosen lieutenants l{newsomething akin to"despair. If the i_ndusien..of variables centinued, it wouldsoon outstrip their

abil ity to manage them, Their f:iilun! was a matter of mathematical. cetl:aimy. When Ood:created the Seventh House, Ty.tieJ and cite Vlgll dared [0 hope that at th'e: last 'the. Crearer hadlncluded Q; mec~aniSjID.topl.ITgethea~and ~esign of'ertors and exGeslilve vanables ..But the inclUSIOn of
ettltapy and death on1vcoIil1lpliitatedmatters further. Even in death" a sparrow - or a star -left a mark ot: its passing behind, creating mew eausal relationships

mat rippled throughout Creation. Death wa not an end, bur merely a new iteration of variables.
Then came the breaking point.

After the final House had been named and the cycle of existence completed, God commanded the Host to combine their potent lore in a final, ultimate act of creation. Thus was human i ty born, and in them the F urth House aw the future of the universe made manifest ~ and the ultimate threat to the stability of

Vigil was able to focus on relatively small set of behaviors presented by mankind and learn to project their effects farther and farther into the future. juhilam, T yriel issued the third and final edict that would shape identity of the Fourth House. The Edict of Momentum created the Oracles, angels whose sole function was to see into the future and look for threats to [he Grand Design.

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the cosmos.
If
mous power and uncertain purpose, mankind was meant to be the mechanism's guiding hand - and the ultimate product of its use. Humanitv was made EO harness the relationships wrought by God and the angels; to dream. to conceive, to build, People were meant to hape the corm of ideas according 1:0 their will, laying new pathways of causality in accordance with their de ire. The implications were awesome. The potential invested in mankind was limitless. Failure, as the Fourth House saw it, was certain.

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cosmos wa a vast mechanism of enor-

The creation of the Ora le further broadened the authority of the Vigil and the lssemination of data between the three aspects of the House, a' the efficient management

of information

became

para-

of their divine mandate. Predictions made. by the Oracles were presented to the Vigil for review, who constantly consulted with Sources for past precedents supported the Oracles' conclusion. When a prediction required

mount to the succe

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mat

action, order were j ued to the Diviners, wh ,took reps to head off he impending imbalance. Later, the Vigil would review the acti ns taken and the final outcome and pre ent the data to the S me ' for inclusion into the Gyre.

Of all the Houses, the Fourth was least troubled humanitv's innocence. The Less that man and woman interacted with the rich. potentials of Paradise, the better, Even the clumsy, limited ways mankind interacted with the world touched off enormous surges of causal interaction that made Tyriel and the Vigil tremble. Still, the angels of the Fourth House were determined to see their duty to the bitter end; and they watched humanity with unblinking intensity; marking their every rep and testing its effects on the surrounding equilibrium. Over time, patterns emerged. lnnoeence bred habitual behavior. Faced with a world of lirnitless possibility, man and woman returned again andagain to. their meager store of acquired knowledge for happiness and survival. They were actually disinclined to ontinually invent and challenge the accepted arder. The notion offered a glimmer of hope to the hardpressed Fourth House and suggested a radical new approach.to clte:it OWrI tole \n the cosmic order. It was Asmodeus who fi:rsr proposed the idea: If human !ieings. behaved in habitual patterns of existence, was it nottherefore possible to predict their

by

STOI\f\ {J)1\RffiNG
Of the three edicts, the Edicr of Mornentum was the single most influential decision [0 shape the character of the Fourtl House as a whole. The ability to peer into the unfonned future caused the Angels of [he Sphere to retreat: even further from the company of their feHow Elahim, reinforcing the image of the Fourth House as an introverted, introspective lot. Even the Diviners, whose duties allowed them to relare best with their fellow angels, mainrained a certain degree of secrecy and separation from their peers. To some extent [his attitude was an outgrowth of the tigh rl y defined lnrerre lations with in the House, but a certain degree of distance was also required In order for the agents co maintain their focus on the "bigger picture" instead. of the minutiae at-existence. As the Oracles grew increasingly adept at-predicting [he cour e of the future, the number of interventions required by the Diviners dwindled, and the House became increasingly removed from the dsv-ro-day course of cosmic existence. As a result the majority of the Heavenly Hosr went about their duties unaware as the FOUTrh House saw the ftrst signs of an approaching catacly m. At first, the signs were small and scattered. Numerous Oracles reported to the Vigil that the number 00£ causal threads wa tarting to dwindle ~ som thing the Fourth House had never seen before. At first the indications were more a source of curiosity than real concern, and Vigil assigned a hal)dfu Ioflesser

llkellest course of action lnadvance of me actual event? Ifso, the "Fourth House could test the relationhips spawned by each evenr well in advance and have ample warnip.g when aetion was required Q maintain.the cosmic balance. Had the humans been anything bur ignorant of the universe.around them. the angels would have bad
no chance to perfect-their
techniqu . M it was, the

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Oracles to stud y the phenomenon be learned from it,

and see what could

Time passed, and the reports mounted. Though still measured in nearcuunrless minions, the C31l1Sai threads were dwindling with increasing speed. The

Vigil's interest changed from curiosity to deep concern. The small cadre of Oracles studying the problem concluded that causal pressures were building throughout the Grand Design and causing a relentless contraction to a single, climactic decision point. The moment was fast approaching when
the entire cosmos would hinge on the outcome of a single question. Tyriel and the Vigil recoiled in horror at the revelation. The very possibility of such a contraction went against everything they believed about the Grand Design. The evidence was impossible to deny" yet no matter how intently they questioned the Sources, they could not discover the source of the mounting pressu reo Did the fault lie with them! Had they somehow erred in their oversight of the Grand Design? The thought drove the Vigil to acts of even greater secrecy. The Oracles were forbidden to discuss the matter with anyone, even their fet10\\Vs. Instead' all information was to be shared with the Vigil alone, specifically Archangel Asrnodeus. To further strengthen the Vigil's control of the flow of information T ytiel del ivered the Edict of Silence, expressly forbidding the discussion of-future events with members of the other six Houses. By damping down. ruthless! y on the d ire warnings of the Oracles, the Vigil hoped to unravel the mystery and avert the looming disaster, thus maintaining the House's honor and its holy mandate.

As it happened, rhev only played into the hands of the face they had sought to avoid. fiEl)El,LIOfl As [he Vigil concealed the knowledge of irnpendmg disaster in an iron fisl: of secrecy, only
Asmodeus and a handful of Oracles knew the

TNEfmST

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full

extent of [be approaching catastrophe, As. [he time of the decision point loomed closer, the Oracles
were better able to predict possible futures emanating beyond the event, and nearly all of them were visions ofheart-wrenchmgdestrucnon, But (he more [hey saw" [he less they 'knew of the source the pressures pushing [he Grand Design to the breaking point. The onlvconclusion rhar made sense was that mankind's ignorance was causing the cosmos. {u COntract. By falllng to make connections with the concepts surrounding them and hamessing the power of the ideas inherent In Paradise. humanity was forcing the energies of [he Grand Design into, an

oe

saw it. The only hope was to bring the mat er to [he other Elohirn in hopes that their insight and experience would suggest an answer, Such an act would violate the Edict of Silence; Ahrimal knew, but the cholcewas disobedience to an angelic edict in the service of his mandate from the Creator. N evertheless, Ahnrnal's dectsion cculd be seen as the tim: true rebellion, an act of courage tha few if any faUen would later recall. A true angel of his House despite his rebellious convictions, Ahrimal carefully chose a small number of influential Elohim to whom In reveal his secrets, hoping to arrive at a solution with a minimum of impact on the Host. With the greatest care, he summoned the angels to his citadel on the lunar surface, leading them to a deep cavern lill with lamps of captured star light. Man y of the assembled luminaries had never spoken directly to Ahrimal before. Now faced by such powerful figures as Belial, Virtue of the Boundless Deeps, Lailah [he Defender and Usiel, Throne of the Sundered, Ahrirnal slowly and methodically presented [he crisis chat threatened them all. "My friends," he whispered into the silence that followed, "What can we do?" Ahrimal's hopes for a qu lck and decisi ve solu tion were short-lived. His revelations served to crystallize the secret doubts and fears that many of the angels experienced since the birth of mankind. Instead of a clear and obvi us answer, Ahrimal touched off the Great Debate, unleashing passions that would plit the Host of Heaven and change the universe forever.

fALLING STARS
iI):creasingiy limited future that was never intended to exist. One Oracle in particular, a rank-and file angel named Ahrimal even went so far as to condude (hat the only way out of the impending crisis hinged on manipulating humanity itself rather man wasting time and energy tracing causal rhreadr . The Oracles passed their urgent re ornrnendations to Asmodeus, who conveyed [hem to the Vigil, but always an wet' wa the ame. Be calm. Hatlc no Despite its secretive beginnings, the Great Debate sent reverberations throughout the Host, ev~ntuaIly rebounding back upon the Fourth House itself. From Sources to Diviners, and finallytheOracles themselves, the full scope of the crisis ~ and how it had been hidden from them - sho k the angel t the core of their being. Despite its scholarly beginnings, the Great ebat left little time for the angels of the Host to decide between loyalty and revolt. When Lucifer raised the banner of rebellion, the die had been cast. The question was not a matter of if, but when and how many. The realization of how the angels of the Vigil had deceived [heir peers, regardless of the reasons Involved, spurred many members of the House to make their decision ba ed on feelings of anger and errayal rather than cold, hard 1 gic, I t was the fir r pontaneous deci ion they ever made. TI1e passions of [he Great Debate split the House in two, though the number of defections

fe.ar. All i:s as tilt: Creator wishes .

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and the other Oracles.became, Isolated not only from.rhe rest of Elohim but even the ir peers within House, the seen. grew increasingly desperate for a solution. Mo:re and more) Ahrlmal believed thar humanity's ignorance was source of the building causa! ;pressure, but having been ISO hued from humanity almost from its creation, the angel had no idea how to address the problem.as he

Ahrimal

Th

mrme time passed, the more desperate

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96

varied between members of the three disciplines. The greatest Dumber of defections came from the Diviners. Part] y a result of the outrage they fel t at the Vigil for letting the crisis fester secretly for so long, many Diviners chose the course of rebellion because their disposition drove them to take action for the sake of the cosmic balance. By contrast, only a bare handful of Sources chose the pam of defiance, firm in their conviction that the Elohim were commanded by God to remain impartial and remere. It was nor for them to say what course universe took, only to watch and record what came to pass. TIle Oracles fell between [he two extremes. Slightly more than a third ofthe seers chose to rebel, including all of those whohad studied the crisis from the beginning. Save one: Ami mal, architect of the rebellion, decided to remain, horrifted at the havoc his rebellion had spawned and determined to submit himself to the Vigil for punishmen of his crime. N ne kn ws for certain what later changed his mind, bu legend hints at a secret meeting between Ahrimal and the Morningstar in the hours before the Fall. What was discussed - if the meeting occurred at all - remains a matter for speculation. Ahrirnal has never explained his change of heart to anyone.

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among [he fallen quickly studied the causal web to see what was about to transpire. What [hey saw shriveled their souls. There was no rime to act, no time to beg forgivenes of the Most High before. Hi fury smote the cosmos. Layers of reality shattered beneath the blow, and the delicate working of the Grand Design were twisted and bent beneath His awful hand. The nightmare the Fourth House had 1 ng feared had now finally came to pass. They had failed in their dury to Heaven, an I the glorious machinery of Creation was broken beyond their ability to repair. Many Fiends were never the same after witnessretribution. Guilt and shame caused them to withdraw deep inside themselves rather than face wreckage of Paradise . For them, their time in He U began the day the cosmos started [0 die. Still others, angels to the last, watched the fabric of reality begin to come undone and swore that they would somehow set it right again.

mg God's

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O]\TtI8 O~fE2\LTtI
Asrnodeus was not idle in the wake of God's vengeful blow. Even before the Morningstar set the fallen on the path of war, the faHen archangel spoke to his fellow Neberu. "There is no turning back now, brothers andsisters," he said. "'Much has been lost; bur there is much more still that may be spared if our hearts are true and we dedicate ourselves wholly to the task. Let us come together as before and restore our broken House." The anehangel's wards struck a chord in the hearts of .many gaUr-stricken Ftends, but their instincnve need fq:r: structure and unity was tempered by feelings of henay,a! and suspL 10 . Many Fiends still febha t [hey hadbee.n deceived by the iron-fisted leadership ofthe Vigil, and dley balked at the idea of rerurning to the intrigue and confounding practice of the Fou House. The solution to the dilemma eemed to present itself in Lucuefs new, egailtarlan order. The ereati n of the legions irnpo ed a new trueture free F hidebound House IT'.ulition an gave tHe Fiel1Q.s the opporrunity 00 decide wh11,[role they would play in the battles to eorne. Slightly lest; '[han half of the

The last of the House to Fall was one of its brightest lights. Asmodeus, lieutenant to Tyriel and Navigator of (he Stars, took his place in the ranks of the rebels without a single word to his fellows. Many were amazed at his sudden defection. Many more would have cause (Q wonder about his motives in the war to come.

Each and every Fiend, from the lowltest angel 0 the highest of dukes, remembers with awful clarity the moment Micha I and the wrathful Host of Heaven filled the sky above Paradise. The universe changed forever in that moment. The cataclv m they bad so feared was finallv upon them, and they were the instruments of irs creation _ The disaster revolved around humanity, it was true, but Luctfer's call to disobedience was Its root cause. It was, 8. realization that would haunt the Neberu throughout Age of Wrath. and it helped shape the character of the fallen House afterward. Bur as terri le a this knowledg was, the w rsr was yet to come. In the wake of the confrontanon between Luci er and Michael, the Fiends se . ed the movement of the Holy Host, and the Oracles

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rebel host, however; th bulk f th Home gravirated to the one legion who e mi ion mad more sense than.any other. Lucifer rail ed the Sil ver Legion to act as his eyes and ears, uncovering the enemy's secrets

Fiends scattered ra serve under the banners of the Crunson, Ebon,l~on and Alabaster.Legions, quickly securing positions f rank 3S st11ltegists, scours and advisors. When f},tced w~h a choice of rel in the

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and spoiling Michael's many plans. Asmodeus, highest of the Fourth House [Q side with the (a Hen, was
logical choice to command this legion of spies.

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A handful ofFiencls chose 1:0 side with none of the legions. Many were practically maddened by ,grief and shame over the breaking of Creation, fleeing from the presence of man and fallen alike. A few, including the fallen angel Ahrirnal, chose [Q follow the dictates of their own conscience, refusing to contribute further to the suffering of the cosmos and devoting themselves wholeheartedly to the task of repairing what they had inadvertenrlv broken. These lonely souls would come [Q haunt the camps of both armies through the course of [he war, spreading dire warnings and twisted chains of prophecy meant to spare men and angels from tragedies of war and protect the fabric of reality as best they could. The rebel host took to calling these mad prophets stormcrows, while the warriors of Heaven referred to them fearfully as the ashen seers.

arguments and decided who had the commanding position. To this end. the Morningstar instructed all ofh is commanders [0 make the best possible use of the Fiends and their abilities at prescience and mobility [Q gain warning of the enemy's strength and intentkms.Ifafallen leader knew his opponents' dispositions beforehand, he could attempt to counter them in unexpected ways and tilt the contest in his favor. The demands of the war effort forced a number of changes on members of all three disciplines, The few Sources who joined the rebel cause {all of whom found themselves part of Lucifer's personal Staff) were enjoined to lise their abilities to record the course of the war in every possible detail, providing the rebel and defeat. In addition ro (his new responsibility, the Sources were keenly aware of the vast store of know 1edge now lost to them by their defection, and they now took steps [Q create 8 new method of recordkeepmg that didn't exclusively depend on the memories of the fallen .. In time, these efforts would lead to me development of the Lore ofLighr and the great Library of Genhinnorn, Like the Sources, the Diviners foundmemselves tasked with developing military applications of their talents, The~r mastery ·of the Lore of Portals provided them with a powerful degree of mobility and stealth, and their instincts for influencing events Led them to deiruelllgence on

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host with a valuable tool

[Q

learn from both victory

G]\t\.5IT-S]'J'qD 5TMT]\GEf\5
Lucifer wasted little time purring' the skills of me Neberu to work. The early battles of the war were complex, often esoteric affairs that were fought on myriad levels of meaning .. The clash of armies resonated as complex formulae, symphonies of song and ephemeral patterns of light. Often a battle was decided in moments as the two generals calculatedthe strength of their position and the passion of their

velop tactics of espionage and provocation. 'VVhen they

weren't gathering moment-to-moment